One Towards the Other
by MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock
Summary: It has been two years since Eponine supposedly died. Marius and Cosette are drifting apart and Marius can't seem to take his mind off of Eponine. What happens when, during a walk one night, Marius discovers a girl laying on the ground, inches from death and then discovers that she's Eponine?
1. Chapter 1

**Thought about this when I was at work. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters.**

_So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation which, in _

_the midst of civilization, artificially creates a hell on earth, and complicates with human _

_fatality a destiny that is divine; so long as the three problems of the century - the _

_degradation of man by the exploitation of his labour, the ruin of women by starvation and _

_the atrophy of childhood by physical and spiritual night are not solved; so long as, in certain _

_regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words and from a still broader point of view, so _

_long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, there should be a need for books such as this._

Misery. It's something that everyone feels–or thinks that they feel–at some point in their life. Misery is defined as a state or feeling of great distress or discomfort of mind or body. But can misery really be defined? Can one really describe what they feel when misery is upon them? The desperation? The hopelessness? The depression? Misery is not something that you can define, not something that you can explain to someone. It would be useless for me to try, but I will try anyway. Dear Reader, misery gives you the feeling that the sun will never rise. Misery is only a feeling acheived when you have been drained of all happiness. Misery is the person who lives life alone, without a friend, without a shred of happiness. Misery is a loved one dying. Misery is what drives you to jump of that bridge, or to tie that noose. Misery is emptiness, the feeling that there is no reason for life to go on, no reason to try. Misery is a wretched thing, Reader. Nothing good comes from being miserable. To spend your whole life in misery would be worse than death. Misery, in the very essence of the word, is anguish.

Though, Dear Reader, we must keep in mind that to be miserable and to feel miserable are two entirely different things. Allow me to explain: if you feel miserable, it is likely that something bad or upsetting as just happened to you, if you are miserable, it is likely that something bad or upsetting keeps happening to you. Marius Pontmercy felt miserable. Eponine Thenardier was miserable.

_[FLASHBACK]_

_Paris, France 1832. The year of the student revolution. The year the students formed barricades in the streets and fought to reverse the establishment of the Monarchy of July of King Louis-Phillippe. At the last barricade students are still fighting the soldiers. So far, this barricade hadn't seen any casualties to their side. A young, handsome student by the name of Marius, a law student who lived in poverty even though his grandfather was rich (he refused to accept money from his grandfather), had sent his best friend, Eponine, who lived on the street after being kicked out by her abusive father and who had dressed as a boy in order to be at the barricade, to deliver a letter of farewell to his beloved Cosette. Éponine did so even though she loved Marius dearly. But her feelings were unrequited; Marius was in love with Cosette, a girl whom he'd fallen in love with after seeing her once. They'd only ever had one conversation. Eponine hadn't wanted to bring the letter, but she had done so for Marius. She'd do anything for him. She loved him like the sun loves the moon; like a flower loves the rain; like a young boy loves his puppy. She would do anything for him, she would even die for him_.

_Marius looked over when he heard the cry of 'There's a boy climbing the barricade!'. The cry had come from Joly, a medical student. He immediately recognized the "boy" to be Eponine. He ran over to her. Why was she here!? He had hoped that by sending her to deliver the letter to Cosette that she would be protected. Why had she come back? Why hadn't she gone to safety as he had meant for her to? Marius ran over to her._

_"Good God! What are you doing? 'Ponine have you no fear?!" He asked her. She looked at him, her big brown eyes pouring into his deep blue eyes. She felt like melting whenever she looked into his eyes. _

_"Took the letter, like you said. Met her father at the door. He said he would give it." she told him. _

_"Why did you come back!?"_

_"My place is with you, it always has been." she replied. All around them, gunshots were fired. Marius grabbed a powder keg and a torch and climbed up the barricade. Eponine noticed a soldier's musket pointed right at Marius. Eponine ran over and placed her hand on the musket. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest. Marius hadn't noticed. He hadn't even noticed the musket pointed at him, he was too busy threatening to blow up the barricade. His plan worked though and the soldiers backed off. When he looked around, he saw Eponine with her jacket wrapped tightly around her. He ran over to her, noticing the expression of pure agony on her face. He cupped her face gently and he felt wetness in her hair. He looked at his hands. They were slick with crimson blood. Eponine's blood. He looked at her, completely panicked. She tried to look back at him calmly, she tried to hide her pain._

_"'Ponine, you're hurt! You need some help!" He caught a glimpse of her blood seeping through her jacket. He pulled the jacket open, revealing that she'd been shot in the chest. "Oh God! It's everywhere!" Taking her in his arms, he sank to the ground and cradled her. "How did this happen!?"_

_"The soldier had his musket aimed at you... couldn't let you die, now could I?" she whispered. Marius noticed the hole in her hand from where the bullet had gone right through it. He gasped. Eponine shushed him. "Don't you fret, Monsieur Marius. I don't feel any pain." she whispered, pain colouring her voice. He knew she was lying. He held her there. Eponine was his best friend. She couldn't die! No, she had to live! Marius needed her. Eponine convulsed in pain. Her breaths were coming in gasps._

_"You'll be okay, 'Ponine." he whispered, knowing that he was probably wrong. "You will live." he felt tears fill his eyes. He blinked them back. He needed to be strong. He needed to be strong for Eponine. 'What will I do if she dies?' Marius wondered_. _'It's my fault that she was shot. She wanted to save me... This is all my fault!' "I'm sorry, Eponine..."_

_"Just hold me now, and let it be." Eponine said softly. Her voice was filled with pain and tears. She raised a trembling hand to caress Marius' face. Marius placed a hand over top of hers. With her other hand, she ran her fingers through Marius' slightly messy light brown hair._

_"I won't desert you now." he told her. In that moment, he realised how much he cared for Eponine. Perhaps he even loved her. He wished he had realised that earlier, now Eponine was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had realised too late. There was nothing he could do for the poor girl that was dying in his arms._

_"You will keep me safe... and you will keep me close..." her voice was growing weaker as her life began to fade away. Marius knew that there wasn't much time left. Soon Eponine would be gone and he would be alone. Cosette was probably already a world away because her father–for reasons unknown to Marius–had decided that they needed to move to England. He would have no one. _

_"I'm here." he whispered shakily. His voice cracked._

_"That's all... I need... to know." she rasped, her voice broke. Tears fell from her eyes. 'At least I'm dying in his arms,' she thought 'in the arms of the man I've always loved, but who has never loved me... and who never will...' "And you will keep me safe... and you will keep me close.. and rain..."_

_"And rain..." Marius echoed, holding her close._

_"Will make the flowers..." She whispered, her voice shaking with tears. The tears cascaded down her cheeks. She didn't want to die, she really didn't. But there was nothing that she could do, that either of them could do._

_"Will make the flowers..." Marius whispered as well, his voice also shaking with tears. Eponine leaned up and kissed him with the passion of one who knows that it will be their last act on earth. Marius kissed her back with burning desire, realising how much he had longed for that kiss. Eponine fell back. Her hand fell away from his face. She was dead, but at least she'd died with a smile on her face. She'd finally gotten the kiss that she'd been longing for. The poor girl who had lived a life of misery and despair had died happy in Marius' arms. "grow..." he finished. He held her lifeless body close to him, sobbing. "Oh God, 'Ponine!" he whispered into her hair. He rocked her body back and forth gently. "No," he softly murmured. "No!" he said, loudly this time. The other student revolutionnaries gathered around them._

_"She is the first to fall, the first of us to fall upon this barricade." Enjolras, the leader of the revolution, whispered softly. Marius looked up and realised that all of the other students were looking at him and the lifeless Eponine. He looked back down at Eponine, who, even in her death, still had that smile on her face. That smile... Eponine's smiles had only ever been for him. He was the only one that could make her really smile. _

_"Her name was Eponine. Her life was cold and dark yet she was unafraid." Marius said, his voice barely above a whisper, his voice was the very essence of sadness. He knew now. He knew now that Eponine had loved him. How careless had he been! He had spent endless hours going on and on about his love for Cosette! How had he not noticed? How could he have been so cruel to ask Eponine to find her, to deliver her a letter. Yet she had. Even though she loved him, she had still done it. For him. Marius kissed her forehead lightly._

_"We fight here in her name." Combeferre, a philosophical student, said softly._

_"She will not die in vain." Prouvaire, a very well spoken student, joined in._

_"She will not be betrayed." Lesgle, the oldest student, murmured. _

_"Marius," Enjolras murmured, "she died for the cause; here at the barricade of freedom."_

_"But she won't be here when tomorrow comes..." Marius replied, his voice filled with sorrow._

_The other students came over to Marius and took Eponine from him. They carried her body away. He'd been about to protest, but as he heard the loud CRACK of a gunshot being fired, he knew he couldn't just stay there with her body. The battle was far from over. Marius sobbed. Eponine was gone. She was really gone... or so Marius thought, but what no one saw was the slight rise and fall of the young gamine's chest as she took each shallow breath, nor did any of them press an ear to her chest to hear her slow heartbeat..._

[PRESENT DAY: 1834]

Marius Pontmercy felt miserable. Ever since he'd married Cosette, he'd regretted it. Cosette hated to be apart from Marius even if only for a couple of minutes. Cosette followed Marius around everywhere. But there was one place that Marius would not let Cosette follow him to; Eponine's grave. Little did Marius know, Eponine's body wasn't actually buried there. There was just an empty casket. Eponine had awoken in her coffin and managed to get out without being seen and before the coffin was nailed shut. Eponine had decided not to tell Marius that she was alive, she wanted him to be happy with Cosette even if it meant her never seing him again. Eponine had not gone home to her parents, no, she'd decided to live on the streets.

Marius visited Eponine's grave every day with a bouquet of white lillies, Eponine's favourite. He would place the bouquet on her grave and then sit down next to it. Then he'd just talk to her, pretending that she was there, that she was alive. In those moments, it felt to Marius as if Eponine was actually there with him, just like old times. Every time that Marius left the grave, he would leave in tears. Dear Reader, who ever you may be, I hope that you never feel the grief that comes with losing someone that is very dear to you, for it is not something that you merely 'get over.' You never really get over the death of a loved one, it is something that follows you everywhere you go. But you learn to adapt, for that is the only way to keep going; you must adapt to a new normal. It had been two years since Eponine's 'death' and Marius missed her dearly. He had not forgotten her, not even for a second.

Marius set the bouquet down on Eponine's grave. He sat down next to the grave.

"Hey there 'Ponine..." Marius whispered. "Things are getting worse with Cosette, she nearly followed me here today and when I told her 'no', she started crying and she actually had the nerve to make up some story about how you two were children together and how you were horrible to her. But even if that was true, I wouldn't care because you'd changed. The you that I know would never do anything horrible to anyone, well except for maybe steal from some rich people, but even so... I don't think that I want to be with Cosette anymore. I used to think that I loved her, but I don't know if I do anymore. I think that I might want to get a separation. Especially after the way she talked about you today, but don't worry 'Ponine, I defended you. I always will..." A couple of tears fell from Marius' eyes. "I miss you so much, 'Ponine! I wish you were here right now to tell me what to do... I really wish you were here... But you're always in my heart. That is one place where you can never truly die. Oh 'Ponine, so often do I pretend that you're with me when I'm on my own. But you're not... oh how I wish you were!"

When Marius returned home after visiting Eponine's grave, Cosette apologized for everything that she had said about Eponine. Marius only half forgave her. Part of him knew that, despite her apology, she'd meant all of the harsh things she'd said about Eponine. Cosette could tell that he was still upset and she could see that his face was tearstained. Cosette rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I really am sorry." she said sincerely.

"I guess I forgive you... it just hurts that she's not here... because of me..."

"Oh Marius, her death is not your fault!" she tried to convince him.

"But it is! She died to save me, she took the bullet that was meant for me!" he told her, tears falling from his eyes. "If I hadn't threatened to blow up the barricade then the soldier wouldn't have aimed his musket at me and Eponine wouldn't have taken that bullet for me! Her death is entirely my fault, I will never forget that... it's something that I have to live with... I killed my best friend..."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did... if it weren't for my foolishness, Eponine would still be alive." he whispered. Cosette was about to argue, but she knew that it would be pointless. There was nothing she could do to convince him that he had not killed Eponine. Cosette just wanted Marius to be happy and to forget about Eponine, but she knew that wouldn't happen. _He's just going to keep harping on the past..._ she thought. _Why can't he just be happy with the life he has; his life with me... I don't understand what was so special about _her. _She was just a street rat..._ "I think I'm going to go for a walk..." Marius said as he headed towards the door. Cosette looked at him, she wanted to go with him on his walk.

"I'll go with you." she said with a smile. Marius shook his head.

"I need to be alone, I need to think..." he told her. Cosette frowned. Tears formed in her eyes. _Why doesn't he want me to come!?_ She wondered_ When we first married we were together every minute of every day... Every day..._

"You never want to be with me anymore..." she mumbled.

"That's not true, Cosette. It's just that you want to be with me every minute of every day."

"_That's_ not true." Cosette replied. "It's not like I follow you to work."

"Except for when you do."

"But it's because I love you! You're all I have! A heart full of love, a night full of you–"

"Cosette, I'm just going on a walk. I will come back." he said as he opened the door and walked outside. Marius walked down the streets of Paris thinking about Eponine. Oh how he missed her! He imagined that she was walking with him, he liked to pretend that she was there. When no one else was around it was easy to pretend such. "On my own, pretending she's beside me..." he whispered. It was dark outside, there were no stars and the only light was the dim light of the pale, full moon. "Without her, I feel her arms around me." he imagined that he was hugging Eponine. "And when I lose my way I close my eyes and she has found me." he closed his eyes and he could see Eponine. "All I see is her and me forever and forever..."

...

Eponine Thenardier was miserable. Since she had supposedly 'died', she had been on her own every day. She had not a single friend. She would not allow herself to seek out Marius. _He needs to be happy, _she'd thought,_ he can't be happy with me always waiting in the shadows. _Eponine lived on the streets. She had for the past two years. She normally didn't get much food. Sometimes she was able to steal a roll of bread from the bakery, and sometimes people would toss her a few sous and she would buy herself something to eat, but she still did not get very much. She did not get much to drink either, that made her voice raspy. Not only was she malnourished, but she was also quite ill. _It was bound to happen at some point,_ Eponine reasoned with herself, _since I live outside in the cold and I have no where to go when it rains or snows... Of course I'm sick! _She shivered even though it wasn't actually that cold out at the moment.

Eponine knew that she had a high fever, she was just about radiating heat. Also, she often hallucintated. She would hallucinate that Marius was there with her, that he was taking care of her, that he loved her. She laughed at herself.

"Silly Eponine, Marius could never love you! He loves that blonde thing..." And so, the depression set in. She had no one. There was no one in the world that cared about her. "He's probably forgotten me already." she sighed, figuring that this was probably true. _I love him, but every day I'm learning all my life I've only been pretending! Without me, his world will go on turning! A world that's full of happiness that I have never known! _Tears fell from Eponine's eyes. _I love him... but only on my own..._ More tears fell. "I can never see him again..." she whispered. "Never again... I don't even know what the point of life is without Marius. I love him so much, but I will never get to be happy with him... he can't find out that I'm alive, I need him to be happy..."

Eponine collasped onto the ground, too weak to go on. She tried to get up, but found herself unable to do so. _So tired..._ she thought, almost as if she was admitting defeat. Then she heard the most beautiful voice singing.

...

"And I know... it's only in my mind. That I'm talking to myself and not to her... And although, I know that she is gone, still I say, she will live on..." Marius sang, his voice shaking. He heard someone cough. "Hello?" he called out. Silence greeted him. "Is anyone there?" Again silence. Marius didn't say another word, he just listened. The silence was broken by another cough. Marius looked around trying to see who was there. On the ground, he saw a girl laying face-down. He walked over to her. She was skinny. Way too skinny. _Skinnier than Eponine ever was, which is really saying something._ Marius thought. "Are you alright?" he asked the girl. She didn't answer. He knelt down and nudged her gently. She shifted slightly, but did not move otherwise and did not look at him. "Are you alright?" he asked again. To his surprise, the girl laughed. It was a cold and bitter laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

"Do I look alright to you?" she replied in a raspy voice. It sounded as if she was dying of thirst. _That voice..._ Marius thought _it sounds so familiar._ "I... I can't even get up..." the girl admitted. _Where have I heard that voice before? _

"Let me help you," Marius said as he helped the girl into a sitting position. As soon as he let go, she slumped over again. Marius helped her up again and, this time, he didn't let go of her. Her tangled dark brown hair hid her face. She made an attempt to brush it out of her face, but she could barely raise her hand to do so. So Marius did it for her. As soon as he saw her face, he gasped. It was the face that he saw in his dreams, the face that occupied his every thought, the face that he never thought he'd ever see again. "E-Eponine?" he whispered. Eponine looked up at him and immediately recognized him. She too gasped.

"Marius?" she asked, not completely sure if it was actually him. She often dreamed that Marius was with her. He nodded. Eponine smiled. Her lips were dry and cracked. "But surely I must be dreaming..." she whispered. Marius shook his head. She smiled again. She leaned against him. She was so weak. And tired, but she knew she couldn't sleep. If she fell asleep now, she knew that she'd never wake up again. She hadn't slept for days. Marius held her close. He could hardly believe that she was alive. _Maybe I've finally gone insane. _he thought. _Maybe I've finally lost it and I'm just imaging that she's here... but I can feel her! I can actually feel her in my arms! She's alive, she's alive! But how?_

"But how are you alive?" he asked her.

"I never died." she replied in that same raspy voice.

"But how? You were shot..."

"True, but I didn't die. I awoke in my coffin."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were alive?"

"I wanted you to be happy with Cosette." she replied. She coughed again. Blood came up.

"Oh God, 'Ponine!" he exclaimed when he saw the blood. She shushed him and then rested her head against his chest. She listened to his strong and stead heartbeat. She smiled again. Her cracked lips started to bleed. She closed her eyes.

"I'm so tired..." she whispered.

"You musn't sleep, 'Ponine." he said to her. "I... I'll take you home and I'll take care of you."

"Cosette won't be happy."

"I don't care."

**Well I hope you liked it! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Who else is really happy for the cast and crew of Les Miserables? They won a bunch of Oscars! Yay! Anyways, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters**

Ever since the bullet had gone through her hand, Eponine had been unable to use it. In fact, she'd lost the ability to use the whole arm due to infection. There was still a hole in her hand, it had not healed. Somewhere in her body, the bullet was still there; she'd not had it removed. She hadn't even been to a hospital, it was remarkable that she had lived at all! When she had awoken in her coffin, she was no longer bleeding so she had not seen the point of going to a hospital. _What good would that do?_ She had thought. Her wound soon became infected, and she lost the use of her arm. She rarely ate, so she became gaunt and far too thin. She did not get much to drink, so she became weak and her voice became hoarse. She lived outside, so she became ill. Since her supposed 'death', she had led an even worse life than before. She wasn't as adept at thievery as she once was since she lost use of her arm. Thus, she did not get much in the way of money or food, thus she was sick and dying. I can tell you now, Dear Reader, that if Marius had not discovered her, Eponine Thenardier would have died that very night. But fate would not have it; God would not allow it. So Marius found the poor girl and saved her with kindness, for if not for his kindness, he would not have come across her laying on the ground and he would not have wondered what was wrong with the poor girl laying on the ground who was seemingly a stranger. But it was his kindness that drove him towards the 'stranger', that made him ask if everything was alright, that made him learn of her identity. It was his kindness that brought Eponine back into his life, therefore we can easily say that it was Marius' kindness that saved Eponine Thenardier from death.

Marius Pontmercy no longer felt miserable, Eponine Thenardier no longer was miserable. Merely seeing one another was enough to brighten their lives. Marius no longer felt that he'd killed Eponine; Eponine no longer felt alone, she had her best friend back. Marius was overjoyed to have Eponine back in his life and Eponine felt likewise. Loneliness is a dreadful thing, Reader, and to be lonely for such a long time is undescribably wretched. Loneliness is a complex emotion and is quite unpleasant to endure, yet Eponine endured it for two years. For two years she was completely alone, she had no one. But now, it seemed, that had changed, for Marius was in her life once more and the world no longer seemed a dark, lonely, and unforgiving place. Eponine felt as if she could be happy again. Suddenly, it seemed the moon shone brilliantly, it seemed the birds sang clearly and beautifully. Suddenly, she could see the stars even though they were hidden behind the clouds. To Eponine, the world was indeed a different place with Marius in it, to Eponine, life now had a purpose; she had a reason to live now: Marius. That was all the reason that she needed. Nothing else mattered, only that he was right there in front of her. Eponine felt whole again.

Marius tried to help Eponine to her feet, but she could not stand. She was too weak, too fatigued, he had to hold her up. Marius noticed how Eponine's left arm hung limply at her side, seemingly lifeless.

"Your arm..." he said, realizing that it was her left hand that she had placed on the barrel of the musket. Eponine looked down at her useless arm and then back at Marius. She managed to smile slightly at him. He couldn't bring himself to smile back.

"It is worth it. You are alive, that's all that matters to me." she told him.

"You can't use it?" he asked. She nodded. "At all?"

"At all." she confirmed. "I lost use of it to infection." She coughed, more blood came up. Marius picked her up. _She's too light... she's always been light, but this... this is too much. She weighs almost literally nothing. How is that even possible? How is it possible for someone to weigh almost nothing? _She rested her head against his shoulder and resisted the urge to close her eyes. She knew she couldn't fall asleep; if she did, she would not wake.

"I will take you home now, 'Ponine." he whispered. Eponine smiled upon hearing his old nickname for her. She hadn't heard it for so long, the sound of it made her happy and it made her think of the good old days, before Cosette had come back into her life. The nickname was comfort itself. Marius carried her home. He knew Eponine was probably right when she said that Cosette wouldn't be very happy. Cosette was very possessive. _Though, surely she won't throw Eponine out... besides, even if she tried, I would not let her. Not a chance in Hell. I am going to help Eponine get better, I will take care of her no matter what Cosette says. there is nothing that can make me abandon Eponine. Absolutely nothing._ Marius looked down at Eponine and noticed that her eyes were closed and her breathing was slowing. He nearly panicked. "Eponine," he said, trying to keep her from falling asleep, "Eponine, you can't sleep. Not yet. You have to wait until you've had some food and some water... you have to wait until we know that you'll wake up again." he told her. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He knew that she was very tired. "Soon, 'Ponine. You can sleep soon." he promised. She managed another small smile. Marius kissed her forehead and kept walking. They soon reached his and Cosette's rather large house. He opened the door and brought her inside. Cosette immediately rushed over to him, almost as if she'd just been sitting there, watching the door and waiting for him to return home from his walk. Cosette noticed Eponine. She frowned slightly.

"Who is that?" she asked, jealously colouring her voice as she saw the tender look in Marius' eyes as he glanced at Eponine. Marius looked up at Cosette, his green eyes meeting her crystal blue. He smiled slightly.

"Eponine." he replied. Cosette's eyes widened.

"But that can not be! I mean, she's dead!" Cosette exclaimed.

"I beg to differ." Eponine rasped. _Although at times I've found myself wishing..._ she thought, though she wouldn't dare say that to Marius. She knew that it would only upset him. She looked at Cosette.

"You were shot!" Cosette said.

"Yes." Eponine agreed.

"You died!"

"No." Eponine corrected with a slight grin. _Well she isn't very smart, now is she? Do I look dead? Er... forget about that..._ she thought. Marius carried her over to the sofa and gently placed her down on it.

"I'll get you some water and something to eat." he told her. He walked into the kitchen, leaving Eponine and Cosette alone together. Cosette glared at Eponine, her eyes were clearly filled with jealousy. Eponine couldn't imagine why. _Why is _she_ jealous of _me_, she's the one that he's with. Not me. Why on earth is _she_ jealous? It just does not make any sense at all._

"He's mine, you know." Cosette said quietly to Eponine.

"I'm well aware of that, Cosette." Eponine replied tiredly.

"That's not going to change."

"Alright, Cosette."

"You can't have him."

"I know."

"He will never love you."

"I know!" Eponine said as loudly as her weak voice could manage, which wasn't very loud at all. And still, it hurt her throat to speak as loudly (softly) as she did. "Cosette, do you think I don't know that? That I don't live with that every day of my life?" she snapped, anger colouring her voice. _I've lived with that for the past two years! I've pretended to be dead because of that!_

"You love him, don't you?" Cosette said, realisation dawning on her. _Took ya long enough, blondie._ Eponine thought.

"So what if I do?" Eponine replied.

"He's mine."

"I repeat: I'm well aware of that, Cosette." she told her as she rolled her eyes. _She's not possessive at all... or repetitive..._ Eponine thought dryly. "Though I can't imagine why..." she muttered under her breath, wondering what on earth Marius saw in Cosette. _Other than beauty, what's there to her? Certainly not intelligence... _Eponine was happy when Marius came back into the room with some buttered bread and a glass of water on a tray; she hadn't liked being alone in a room with Cosette. Marius placed the tray on Eponine's lap. Eponine tried to reach for the water with her good hand, but she could barely force her hand to reach out and grab it, so Marius helped her. He helped her to take a few sips–well, more than just a few–of water and then he fed her the bread. Eponine noticed how Cosette hovered, almost as if she was trying to ensure that nothing happened between Eponine and Marius. _As if..._ Eponine thought. When she finished, Marius brought the tray back to the kitchen and then returned to Eponine's side. She looked at him. "Am I allowed to sleep now?" she asked him, her voice no longer quite as raspy. Yet it still wasn't back to its normal tones. _Maybe my voice will never completely go back to normal..._ she thought.

"Rest now, dear Eponine." he whispered. She smiled and closed her eyes, happy to finally be able to sleep. _I'm exhausted..._ She was asleep within seconds. Marius watched her for a moment and then turned and faced Cosette. She smiled at him dazzlingly, but to Marius her smiles had lost all of their charm. He smiled back easily though. He was happier than he had been for quite some time; Eponine was alive and she could live for a long time yet. Cosette was about to suggest that they go for a walk together, but then Marius said: "I think I'm going to go to bed. Good night, Cosette." he said. He kissed her on the cheek and then went to their bedroom. Cosette blinked. Tears filled her eyes. Marius layed down on the bed in their bedroom and closed his eyes. He soon drifted off into sleep. Marius, just like the night before and like the night before that, had a horrible nightmare.

_Marius was back at the barricade. The sound of gunshots filled the air. Standing at the top of the barricade was Eponine, who was waving a red flag. She turned and smiled at him. He smiled back. Suddenly, several gunshots were fired right at Eponine's chest. They went through her and she fell backwards off the barricade. She landed at Marius' feet, her eyes were focused on his._

_"Marius..." she whispered, by her voice was lost in the sound of the battle. Marius knelt down next to the dying gamine. "Marius..." she whispered again, trying to be louder. Her voice was like a whisper on the wind. _

_"'Ponine!" Marius exclaimed, taking her in his arms. "Oh my God... oh no, oh please no!" She smiled at him sadly. She had already accepted her fate and now she needed Marius to as well. "Oh God..."_

_"You know it killed me when you walked into that garden, silly, I know seeing as I was the one who brought you there, but still..." she whispered. "You have your letter?" she asked him. He nodded. "Promise me something? For my pains?"_

_"What?"_

_"Promise!"_

_"I promise."_

_"When I die, kiss me on the forehead. I shall feel it somehow..." she told him. She closed her eyes and, for a moment, Marius thought that she had gone from this world. Tears fell from his eyes. But she opened her eyes again and said in a voice that was too sweet to belong to this world "And then, do you know, Monsieur Marius, I believe I was a little in love with you." she told him. She tried to smile again and died. Marius wept for the dead Eponine._

Marius awoke with a jolt. The nightmare was nothing unusual. Marius frequently had dreams in which Eponine died, each one was always different but ended the same: Eponine would tell him that she loved him, and then she'd die. Marius looked next to him and found Cosette fast asleep. He got up, careful not to shift the bed so as not to wake Cosette, and he tiptoed to the sitting room where Eponine was sleeping. He smiled slightly. He sat down in the chair across from the sofa where Eponine lay. He watched her sleep for a moment and double checked that she was breathing. _She's alive... it's okay, she's alive..._ he thought as he watched her. Eponine, and we will never know how she knew this, knew that she was being watched and she woke immediately. Perhaps it was from living on the streets for so long. She sat up slowly and looked at Marius with wide eyes. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Watching me sleep, Monsieur?" she asked as she sat up. Marius tried to look innocent but nodded anyway. She smirked.

"Had to double check that you were alive." he told her. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a confused expression. "I... er, had a dream–no, a nightmare that you died... though, I must say that I am used to the nightmares."

"What do you mean, Monsieur?"

"Marius," he corrected. She laughed slightly.

"What do you mean, _Marius_?" she repeated her question.

"Most nights I have nightmares about your death." he told her. She frowned. "I felt like I killed you..." he added in an undertone. Eponine's big eyes widened. "If it weren't for me you wouldn't have gone to the barricade..."

"You didn't kill me."

"I felt like I did."

"Marius, I saved you because I lo–" she'd been about to say love, "–care about you. I couldn't let you die." she told him. Both were silent for a moment. Eponine was pondering what she would do if Marius died, and Marius was thinking about how she'd almost said 'love'.

"Hey 'Ponine?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for saving me." he said. She smiled.

"Any time, Monsi– Marius." she replied. "So... er... how're things?"

"Better since I found you." he told her.

"And before that?"

"Not so great." he admitted.

"And why is that?" she asked.

"Well," Marius started very quietly so that only Eponine would be able to hear, "I'm not sure that I love Cosette anymore. I thought I did, but I didn't realise how clingy she is. She wants to be with me every second of every day. She's even followed me to work before. She doesn't seem to understand that sometimes I need my space. She follows me everywhere! The only place I never let her follow me to was your grave." he told her.

"My grave?" she asked. He nodded.

"I visited it every day with a bouquet of white lillies." he told her.

"My favourite." she said with a smile. He nodded.

"Then I'd just sit there and talk to you. Though, I guess it wasn't really you." he said with a slight smile. "I've missed you so much, 'Ponine." he told her.

"I've missed you too." she told him earnestly. Tears filled her eyes. "I've missed you so much! Oh for so long I was all alone in the world and the only thing keeping me alive was the mere thought that you were alive and happy. There were times when I believe I was inches from death, but in those times I thought of you and I found the will to keep going..." tears fell from her eyes. "Oh how lonely I was! But now... it feels as if I've come home from far away..." she told him. Marius went over to her and hugged her. She wrapped her good arm around him.

"Welcome home." he whispered.

"Thank you." she whispered back. Marius kissed her forehead lightly. She smiled. Marius held her there for a while. She ended up falling sleep again in his arms. He kissed her forehead again and layed her back down on the sofa. Then he turned and saw Cosette. She'd been watching them. Though, she hadn't heard what he'd said about her, she'd seen enough to become jealous.

"Let's talk, Marius." she said a bit icily. And so they did.

...

Eponine dreamed most wonderful dreams. That is to say, she dreamed of Marius. But her dreamings did not last very long. She was awoken by a hard shove. She fell off of the sofa. At first, she'd forgotten where she was. She scrambled to her feet.

"Sorry father!" she sai quickly, but then looked up and saw Cosette. "Oh. It's you." she relaxed a bit as she remembered the previous night, But then she noticed the pure anger in Cosette's eyes and she tensed up.

"Yes." Cosette hissed. "It's me." She shoved Eponine again. Eponine stumbled back.

"The hell was that for?" Eponine demanded.

"I _told_ you he's _mine_!" she said. She slapped Eponine.

"Qu'est-ce qui cloche chez toi, psychotique garce? **(1)**" Eponine asked angrily. Cosette was about to hit her again, but Marius came up behind her and grabbed her wrist. Cosette turned to face him, glaring.

"Leave her alone, Cosette! This isn't her fault!"

"Yes it is! Everything was fine before she came!" Cosette replied.

"No, everything was not okay!" Marius snapped. Cosette's lip trembled.

"Marius, please! I love you!" Cosette pleaded.

"Well I love Eponine!" he replied. Then he froze. Eponine gasped. Cosette gasped.

"You... you love me, Marius?" Eponine asked as she stared at him, disbelief in her eyes. Marius seemed to be at a loss for words. Cosette looked so angry that it almost scared Eponine. Almost. Not quite.

"I... I... I... er... Yes. Yes, Eponine. I love you."

**Hope you enjoyed. Please review!**

**(1) What is wrong with you, psychotic wench? (Though, oddly enough, garce also translates to bitch)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Voice, le prochain chapitre! **

**Disclaimer: Je ne possede pas Les Miserables ou les characteurs, ou les poemes. Victor Hugo possede les poemes en francais.**

When the bullet passed through Eponine's hand at the barricade two years ago, it went into her chest and nicked her heart. As we have seen, Eponine was very fortunate and did not die from her wounds. However, the bullet did still damage her heart, giving her a heart murmur. A heart murmur is an abnormal sound of the heart. Eponine's heart did not beat normally, and that was not a good thing, not when she was as weak as she was at that moment.

Eponine smiled. The smile froze on her lips as she collapsed. Her heart had stopped. The excitement had been to much for her, what with her damaged heart and her weak state. Marius ran over to her and knelt don next to her. He shook her shoulders lightly.

"Eponine? Eponine!" he started to panic."Oh God, she's not breathing!" He pressed his ear to her chest and did not hear a heartbeat. He tried to remember some things that Joly had taught him all those years ago. _What did he tell me!? Oh God... what did he say?... Chest compressions!_ He started doing the chest compressions. "Come on Eponine..." he whispered. "Please..." he begged. He kept doing the chest compressions. _I just got her back... she can't die! No, she can't!_ Tears started to fall from Marius' eyes, but he didn't give up. He had to keep trying. After a good quarter of an hour, Eponine's heart started to beat again and she started to breathe. Marius took her in his arms, tears falling from his eyes. He held her close. "Oh God, 'Ponine..." he whispered into her hair. Cosette watched him, fillled with jealousy. _I wish she _had_ died!_ Cosette thought. _I can't believe that he loves her..._

"I can't believe that it's over..." Cosette whispered. Marius looked at her, not quite sure of what to say. "I really thought that we would be together forever... but I guess not... what did I do wrong, Marius?" she asked him.

"We just aren't meant to be together, Cosette..." he replied.

"But why?" she asked.

"Because I... I love her..." he whispered, looking at the still unconscious Eponine. Cosette could tell that he spoke only the truth. _I love her..._ Marius marveled. _I love Eponine. How could I not realise it before? I love her... I really love her... Eponine... this isn't like what I felt for Cosette, no. This is real love. This is something that I've never felt before now... _He smiled slightly. He looked back at Cosette. She had tears in her eyes.

"I... I'll just... I'll just go then..." she said in a quavery voice. She ran out of the house, tears streaming down her face. _I hate her! _she thought._ I hate Eponine Thenardier! I hate her, I hate her, I hate her! Oh, she's going to regret this... maybe I should visit her father, see what _he _has to think about her being alive... I know she fears him. I think I will visit him and inform him that Eponine is very much alive..._ Cosette walked off in the direction of the old Thenardier inn. _He should have a thing or two to say about this..._ she thought with a smirk.

Marius held the unconscious Eponine close to him.

"Oh my dear Eponine..." he whispered. "You gave me quite a scare, you did... Oh 'Ponine, I love you so... I'm so sorry that I did not realise before, but I really do love you, 'Ponine. Quand, les deux yeux fermés, en un soir chaud d'automne,

Je respire l'odeur de ton sein chaleureux,

Je vois se dérouler des rivages heureux

Qu'éblouissent les feux d'un soleil monotone ;

Une île paresseuse où la nature donne

Des arbres singuliers et des fruits savoureux ;

Des hommes dont le corps est mince et vigoureux,

Et des femmes dont l'œil par sa franchise étonne.

Guidé par ton odeur vers de charmants climats,

Je vois un port rempli de voiles et de mâts

Encore tout fatigués par la vague marine,

Pendant que le parfum des verts tamariniers,

Qui circule dans l'air et m'enfle la narine,

Se mêle dans mon âme au chant des mariniers.**(1)**" he whispered to her. That was what Eponine heard as she woke, her eyes fluttering open. She looked at him and smiled lovingly. He kissed her forehead.

"You really love me, Monsieur?" she asked. Marius nodded.

"Really and truly." He told her. She smiled.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me, Monsieur."

"Marius." he corrected again with a smile. She laughed quietly, but her laugh turned into a hacking cough. Blood came up. Marius' smile disappeared. "'Ponine..." he whispered, worry in his voice and in his eyes. She shook her head.

"I'm fine, Marius." she lied.

"You need a doctor's care."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. 'Ponine, I really don't fancy going to your funeral again..." he told her. "You must have been very close to being buried, because it was an open casket funeral." he said. She looked at him, wondering who actually went to her funeral other than Marius. Marius remembered the funeral very clearly and he remembered the incredible sadness that he felt. He didn't want to go through it again.

_[FLASHBACK: 1832]_

_It was the day of Eponine's funeral. Marius was dressed entirely in black. Anyone who saw him would know that he was in mourning. There weren't very many people at the funeral, just him, Cosette (only because of Marius), Valjean (only because of Cosette), Thenardier (which had surprised Marius immensely), Mme. Thenardier (which had surprised Marius less), Marius' grandfather (who had grown to like Eponine), and a priest. _

_The priest said some words about how she would be missed (Thenardier had laughed, Mme. Thenardier had slapped him) and how she had moved on to be with the Heavenly Father (Thenardier had laughed again and was slapped again). Then Marius had gone up to speak._

_"Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne,_

_Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends._

_J'irai par la forêt, j'irai par la montagne._

_Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps._

_Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées,_

_Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit,_

_Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées,_

_Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit._

_Je ne regarderai ni l'or du soir qui tombe,_

_Ni les voiles au loin descendant vers Harfleur,_

_Et quand j'arriverai, je mettrai sur ta tombe_

_Un bouquet de houx vert et de bruyère en fleur._**(2)**_" He finished, tears falling freely from his eyes. He couldn't believe that Eponine was actually gone... his best friend in the whole world was dead, had died saving him! _

Eponine could see the haunted look in Marius' eyes and knew what he must be remembering.

"Marius," she whispered. He looked at her. "I'm here." He managed a smile.

"That's all I need to know." he said. "Now, let's get you to the hospital." This time, Eponine didn't argue. She didn't even protest when Marius picked her up and carried her all the way to the hospital (normally she would have wanted to walk).

...

Marius ended up buying medications that the doctor had perscribed, one for the infection in Eponine's hand (not that Eponine really saw a reason for buying it), and the other to help Eponine get over her illness. Luckily, Eponine was not contagious. Marius brought her back home and gave her her first doses of medication. She smiled. _It has been so long since someone has actually cared for me..._ she thought.

"You know, Monsieur, I used to wonder what love was." she said. "I did not completely understand it, I was not sure if it was pain, or if it was joy. I did not know. But now that I know that you love me as well, I know that love is wonderful. "Aimons toujours! Aimons encore!

Quand l'amour s'en va, l'espoir fuit.

L'amour, c'est le cri de l'aurore,

L'amour c'est l'hymne de la nuit.

Ce que le flot dit aux rivages,

Ce que le vent dit aux vieux months,

Ce que l'astre dit aux nuages,

C'est le mot ineffable : Aimons!

L'amour fait songer, vivre et croire.

Il a pour réchauffer le coeur,

Un rayon de plus que la gloire,

Et ce rayon c'est le bonheur!

Aime ! qu'on les loue ou les blâme,

Toujours les grand coeurs aimeront:

Joins cette jeunesse de l'âme

A la jeunesse de ton front! **(3)**" she said lovingly. Marius leaned in and kissed her. Her breath hitched in her throat, but she smiled and kissed him back. Their lips molded together as if they were meant for eachother. How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said. His strong arms ensnared around her waist and she wrapped her good arm around his neck, pulling him even closer. "Mon amour... **(4)**" she murmured softly. "Je t'aime de tout mon coeur. **(5)**" she said against his lips. He smiled and kissed her softly; a short and sweet kiss.

"A toi pour toujours.**(6)**" he whispered. Their lips met again and it was bliss. Eponine was happier than she had ever been in all of her existence. She was so happy that she felt like singing; like dancing. _If I died now, I would be content because I would have known what it is to be happy, what it is to know love. _She thought blissfully. Marius deepened the kiss. Eponine's knees buckled, but Marius held her up and didn't break the kiss, which made Eponine even happier. "Ah, ma cherie, je t'aime. **(7)**" he murmured against her lips. She smiled. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"Je t'aime aussi..." she replied.

Marius picked her up and carried her to the sofa. He sat down with her on his lap. She pressed her lips to his. He cupped her face, kissing her back with fo much fiery passion. Three words popped into Eponine's mind at that moment when she thought of Marius. Those three words were: _raison d'être, _meaning reason to be. And it was, indeed, true for Eponine did not see any other reason to exist other than Marius. _The world would be a mighty stranger without him, _she thought_ he is all I need in this world, and without him I would have nothing; would be nothing. I love him more than I've ever loved anything and now... now he actually loves me back! I've dreamed of this for so long, now I'm actually in his arms and he's actually kissing me! Mon Dieu... I am so happy... this is all I've ever wanted, he's all I've ever wanted. I love him and he loves me, life is so perfect right now. It's hard to believe that it was once so dark, that I once lived in a world without any light. But now I'm bathed in light! I've found my light in all of the darkness, or, rather, he found me... Marius is my light... he found me, he actually found me. It's like those two years that I was apart from him have just melted away, I was lost but now I'm found... _Before she knew what she was doing, she was pulling his shirt off. Well, she was trying to, which wasn't easy to do with only one arm. Marius pulled his top off, but ended up having to put it back on when there was a knock at the door.

Eponine got up off his lap so that he could go answer the door. Marius got up and walked over to the door. He pulled it open. Standing there was Eponine's father, Monsieur Thenardier, or, as he'd last called himself, le Baron du Thenard.

"I believe," Thenardier started, "that you have something that belongs to me."

**Dun dun dun! So what did ya think? Please review!**

**(1) When, both eyes closed, on a hot autumn night,**

**I breathe in the fragrance of your welcoming heart,**

**I see happy shores spread out before me,**

**Blazing in the fire or a monotonous sun;**

**A lazy isle to which nature has given**

**Lonely trees, savory fruits,**

**Men whose bodies are slender and vigorous,**

**And women in whose eyes shines a surprising candor.**

**Guided by your fragrance to these charming moods,**

**I see a port filled with sails and masts**

**Still tired by the waves of the sea,**

**While the perfume of the green tamarinds,**

**That flows through the air, and fills my nose,**

**Mingles in my soul to the sailors' song.**

**(2) Tomorrow, at dawn, at the hour when the countryside becomes pale with snow,**

**I will leave. You see, I know that you are waiting for me.**

**I will go by the forest, I will go by the mountain.**

**I cannot stay far from you any longer.**

**I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts,**

**Without seeing anything outside, without hearing any noise,**

**Alone, unknown, back curved, hands crossed,**

**Sad, and the day for me will be like the night.**

**I will not look at the gold of the evening which falls,**

**Nor the faraway sails descending towards Harfleur.**

**And when I arrive, I will put on your tomb**

**A green bouquet of holly and flowering heather.**

**(3) Love always! Love more!**

**When love is gone, hope escapes us.**

**Love is the cry of the dawn**

**Love is the hymn of the night**

**What the streams say to the shore,**

**What the wind says to the old mountains,**

**What the stars say to the clouds,**

**Is one ineffable word: Love!**

**Love makes one think, live and believe.**

**Love warms the heart,**

**A ray of light more than glory**

**And this ray is happiness!**

**Love! whether we praise or blame them**

**Big hearts will always love:**

**Join this youth of the soul**

**To the youth of your brow!**

**(4) My love**

**(5) I love you with all my heart**

**(6) Yours forever**

**(7) Oh, my dear, I love you**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the long wait, but here is the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or any of the characters**

Eponine froze upon hearing her father's voice. That voice haunted many of her nightmares. That voice inspired fear. Monsieur Thenardier had beaten Eponine several times, sometimes to within an inch of her life. She had hoped that she would never have to hear his voice again, that she would never be face with him. But he was there, at the door, and he knew that she was there. Eponine hadn't been treated with kindness by her father since the day that Cosette had been taken away by a mysterious man in an old yellow coat. Since then, her father beat her, forced her into theivery, and very nearly forced her into prostitution. But she never let him do that. No, if there was one thing that Eponine would not let her father take from her, it was her virginity. Even after Eponine moved out, her father made sure that every day she brought him money. If she didn't then he'd beat her and he'd let the Patron Minette beat her. When Eponine thought of her father, she thought of every slap, every kick, every attempt to force her into something that she refused to do. _Oh Lord, somebody help me! Dear God, what'll I do? _she thought, starting to panic. _But... but surely Marius won't let him take me... of course not..._ Eponine glanced at her father.

"Go away Thenardier." Marius hissed venomously. "You have no business here." Thenardier laughed.

"You 'ave my girl." He replied.

"You do not own her."

"You'll give 'er to me." there was a threatening edge to Thenardier's voice.

"You'd have to kill me first."

"Okay, but remember tha' it was your idea." Thenardier laughed. He pulled out a knife and stabbed it into Marius' side. Marius cried out in pain. Eponine screamed. Thenardier shoved Marius out of the way and made his way over to Eponine. Marius collapsed, clutching at his wound, crimson blood pooled around him in dark puddles. Eponine tried to run over to him, but Thenardier grabbed her. "Your mine, girl." he growled. He dragged her out of the house. Cosette was just outside.

"_You!_" Eponine spat. "You did this! I swear to God, Cosette, if Marius dies I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you bitch!" Cosette jumped slighty, scared by her tone of voice. Thenardier dragged Eponine away and Cosette went inside. Marius had passed out from the pain. She went over to him and picked him up. She half carried, half dragged him outside. She got them a coach to the hospital.

...

Thenardier brought Eponine back to the old inn. They still got a few customers now and then, but other than that they were out of business. He dragged her inside. She no longer fought against him, she knew that it was useless. Thenardier shoved Eponine to the ground. She winced.

"You owe me money, 2 years worth." he told her.

"I don't owe you anything." she hissed.

"Yes you do." he kicked her in her stomach, but she didn't care if he hurt her. _Marius is dying because he defended me..._ she thought, _If he dies... no, I refuse to think about that... but if he does..._

"What is all of this about?" asked the deep voice of Madame Thenardier as she walked over to them. Then she noticed Eponine sprawled on the floor. "E-Eponine? Is... is that really you?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. Eponina scowled at her. "Oh my baby!" the Thenardiess exclaimed. She ran over to Eponine, knelt down, and hugged her tightly. "I th-thought you were d-dead!" Eponine realised that her mother was sobbing. She had never seen her mother cry. Ever.

"Since when do you care?" Eponine asked her icily. The Thenardiess looked taken aback.

"Eponine, you're my daughter. Of course I care!"

"Enough of this!" Thenardier growled. "The girl owes us money."

"What are you talking about?" The Thenardiess asked him.

"She's been gone for 2 years, she knows tha' she's supposed to bring us money everyday and she 'asn't done that! She owes us 2 years worth!"

"Be reasonable, look at her! It's not like she's been livin' a grand life!" Thenardier struck her.

"Don't argue with me. The girl 'as to pay us back." This time the Thenardiess didn't argue. She just got up and walked away. Thenardier grinned nastily at Eponine. "Oh yes you'll pay us back..."

"I don't have any money." she told him sharply.

"Tha's obvious. But there are ways of getting money from you. Stand up!" Eponina did as she was told. Thenardier dragged her over to the only other person in the inn. It was an older, shady, filthy looking man. The man looked at them.

"'Ow much ya want fer 'er?" he asked. Eponine blinked, now understanding what her father was going to force her into.

"One Napolean." Thenardier replied. Eponine tried to pull away.

"Bu' tha's 20 francs!" the man protested, but he withdrew one gold Napolean anyway. He handed it to Thenardier and then stood up. He grabbed Eponine's useless wrist and pulled her towards his room.

"No! No, I won't!" Eponine exclaimed.

"Ya don' 'ave a choice m'dear!" The dirty man said with a laugh, revealing his slimy yellow teeth, most of which were missing.

"Let me go!" she demanded. The man just laughed and brought her into his room. He shoved her on to the bed. Eponine got up and ran to the door, but the man blocked her. He shoved her back on to the bed.

"I already paid fer you!" he pulled down his pants and then hitched up Eponine's skirt. She tried to fight him off, but he easily overpowered her. She was weak at that moment and he was not. She was no match.

"Please no..." she begged him. He laughed and thrust into her. Silent tears fell from Eponine's eyes as he violated her. She was defenseless. _Father finally did what he's always wanted to... _she thought. _I didn't know this would hurt..._ It hurt her emotionally more than it did physically. She tried to pretend that she was somewhere else, anywhere else. But try as she may, she couldn't pretend. She knew what was happening and she hated it. For once she wished that she could just black out, like she often did when she went for days without food. But she'd had food, Marius had fed her. Eponine was completely conscious throughout the whole ordeal. When the man finally finished and got off of her, Eponine wished that she was dead. She got up and pushed her skirt back down. She walked out of the man's room, tears still falling from her eyes. She planned to run out of the inn, but her father was waiting for her. _There goes that plan..._ She sighed. Thenardier walked over to her, grinning his yellow-toothed grin. Eponine glared at him.

"He won't be the last." He promised her. Eponine felt like she was going to be sick.

...

When Marius woke up, he was in the hospital. He blinked and looked around. Right away, his eyes locked on Cosette. For a moment he'd forgotten what had happened, but only for a moment.

"Where is Eponine?" he asked immediately. Cosette rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Dead, I hope." she replied.

"She'd better not be. Cosette I swear to God if she is–"

"Yea, yea, yea, if she's dead you'll kill me. Blah blah blah! She already said the same about you."

"Where is she?" Marius repeated, anger creeping into his voice.

"I'm not telling you anything."

...

A week passed. Marius had looked everywhere for Eponine, but had not found her. He had never actually been to her family's inn, and he did not know where it was. Eponine, on the other hand, had failed at all attempts to escape. She had been forced to sleep with several men, though she always just layed there, completely motionless. She cried herself to sleep most nights, dreading the days to come. What was worse was that she didn't even know if Marius was alive or not. The thought that he could be dead haunted her. Every dream or nightmare (they were nightmares more often than not) that she had was about Marius. Sometimes, sleep would bring bliss; it would bring a good dream of better times. She would dream that she was with Marius, that he was okay, that she was anywhere but where she really was. But those dreams were always shattered when morning came and she was awoken viciously by her father. Sometimes, her mother would talk to her and try to cheer her up, but it was useless. Besides, even when Madame Thenardier did talk to her daughter, Eponine rarely listened. She knew that her mother cared about her, but the Thenardiess never stopped Thenardier from beating Eponine, or from forcing her into prostitution. Sometimes her mother would give her some extra food when her father wasn't looking, but those times were rare as Thenardier seemed to know everything that went on in his inn.

Thenardier dragged Eponine over to a hooded stranger, he almost had to hold her up. Eponine was sick and she had been without her medication for a week. Mind you, she'd only had one dose, but she was still sick and it was getting worse. Her father didn't seem to care about that though, he just used her to get money from lonely strangers who can't get real women to like them, so they settle for prostitutes. Thenardier cleared his throat and the stranger glanced up at Eponine, keeping his face concealed by his hood and the darkness of the inn. Eponine coughed violently.

"2 gold Napoleans." Thenardier told him. The stranger reached into his pocket and pulled out two of the gold coins. He handed them to Thenardier and led Eponine to his room. Eponine noticed that when he grabbed her wrist, it was with the gentlest of touches. Eponine had been about to say something, but the hooded man spoke first, in a soft and calm voice.

"You do not need to worry, I just want to talk." And with that, he took his hood off, revealing his face at last. Eponine gasped and fumbled for words. Thinking of nothing better to say, she settled on:

"But you're dead!"

"No more than you are, Mademoiselle."

"I thought..."

"I thought the same about you."

"But how?" Eponine asked him.

"I woke up shortly before they came to get the bodies. I had to hide so as not to be seen and executed on the spot. I thought I was the only survivor..." He admitted. Eponine shook her head.

"I awoke in my coffin. Marius survived as well."

"Marius is alive?"

"Well he survived the battle... I... I don't know if he... if he's still... He could be dead." Upon saying this, Eponine had begun to break down. Her body racked with sobs. "He... could... be... dead!" she sobbed. He tentatively wrapped his arms around her. He had never really been much of a hugger, and he'd never had reason to comfort anybody, so he wasn't great at it.

"What happened?" he asked softly once Eponine had calmed down a bit. She told him everything, every little detail.

"If he's dead... if he's dead, it would be my fault."

"Eponine–"

"No. It would be. If he hadn't defended me... if he'd just given me to my father..."

"Then he'd hate himself. More than that, he wouldn't be himself. Marius would never _let _anything happen to you. It was natural for him to defend you, Eponine." he told her. "There's a good chance that he's alive." he added.

"There was so much blood..." she whispered.

"There was when you were shot as well. Try to be optimistic. I know that's hard given the circumstances, but at least try. Plus, you said that Colette was there so she probably got him to a hospital. And from what you've told me of her, she's probably trying to make him fall back in love with her." Then he saw her slightly worried look. He continued, "But I can guarantee you that there is no chance of it working. I know Marius, he won't forgive her. Not after what she did to you. Now, we need to figure a way to get you far from here."

"I've tried everything."

"Sneaking out during the night?"

"He locks me in my room."

"Disguising yourself?"

"He sees right through it."

"Escaping when his back is turned?"

"It's like he has eyes on the back of his head." She told him. He sighed and tried to think of a way to get her out.

"Do you know where he keeps the key to your room?"

"In his room."

"Well that will make things more difficult, but not impossible." said He. "Tonight then. I will retrieve the key and I will come and free you. Then we run. You won't be able to stay where you were before, your father knows his way there. You'll have to go into hiding for a little while." Eponine nodded, knowing that he was right. "Tonight. I'll be there." He told her. "I promise." Eponine managed a slight smile.

...

That night, Eponine waited. While she waited, she thought. She thought about Marius. _Oh I hope he's alright! He'd better be. I meant what I said, if he's dead then I'm going to kill Cosette. Wait a minute... this is entirely _her_ fault! Not mine, hers! She's a... a... garce! Chienne! Chipie! Salope! Désagréable! Pute! Femelle! Putain! Pouffiasse! _**(1)** _I hate her! I thought I hated her before for taking Marius from me, but now... now I really hate her! My Marius had better be alive or that girl is in for a world of hurt... I swear to God, she will suffer if Marius is dead because of her jealousy. Even back when I was jealous of her I would _never _sink to that level! I would never sabotage Marius' happiness... Cosette doesn't know what love is. Not real love. If she really loved Marius then she wouldn't have done what she did, she would have sacrificed her own happiness for Marius; so that he could be happy. _

Eponine's door swung open. She looked over and smiled slightly.

"Ready, Mademoiselle?" he asked her. She nodded and got up.

"Let's go."

The two sneaked out of the inn in the dead of the night. He had to wrap an arm around Eponine to support her and keep her from collapsing. They didn't talk, they just walked in amiable silence.

They soon made it to Marius' (and Cosette's) home (both hoping that Cosette would not be there) and he knocked on the door. It was soon answered by Marius himself. The first he saw was Eponine. He wrapped his arms around her, rejoicing.

"Oh 'Ponine, I was so worried! I looked everywhere, but I... I couldn't find you!" He told her, tears of happiness and relief falling from his eyes. He kissed her softly and then looked up at the man. He gasped.

**That's right, I'm gonna leave you guessing. Who is this mystery man? Please review!**

**(1) Yeah, those all mean 'bitch'. Isn't French lovely?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So here's the next chapter. I posted the Wicked/Les Mis crossover fic, it's called **_**Les Méchants**_**, meaning The Wicked Ones (As Les Misérables translated means The Miserable Ones), so, uh, yeah. Check that out if ya want to. Did you guys enjoy Eponine's use of all of the French ways to say bitch in the last chapter? Oh and I must be really horrible at making things a mystery because everyone who guessed the identity of the stranger got it right...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or any of the characters.**

The man, as I'm sure may have assumed, was Enjolras. Enjolras had not died, he had lived. He was sad that France was not free, but even more so that his friends had not survived the battle. He lived with what we know as survivor's guilt. Depsite the failed revolution, he did not give up all hope of someday seeing a free France. He planned for another revolution. Louis-Philippe would not stay on the throne, not if Enjolras could help it. He planned hard, for this time he planned on a successful revolution. I can tell you now that this did come to fruition (and it can be noted here, Reader, that the revolution of which I am speaking is the Revolution of 1848, but more on that later). But Enjolras had been dreadfully lonely, as he had no one to tell his plans to; to his knowledge, all of his friends were dead.

Death is an interesting phenomenon, isn't it? It is something that almost everyone fears as it is something that we can never truly know anything about, not until we die. Some like to believe that there is an afterlife. Let's approach this subject. Afterlife. What is the afterlife like? Is it Heaven? Is it Hell? But then, to think about that, we must ask ourselves: what is Heaven and what is Hell? Everyone tends to think that the good go to Heaven and the bad to Hell. But define Heaven, define Hell. Most speak of Heaven as paradise, but what does that entail? Everyone has a different concept of paradise, of happiness, so how can every good person go to the same Heaven? And what of Hell? For most, to think of Hell is to think of fire, torture, and everything that you've seen in your nightmares; everything that you fear. But then we have the same problem as with Heaven. Not everyone fears the same things, therefore how could all of the corrupt and twisted end in the same Hell? Aside from that, how is it decided if someone goes to Heaven or to Hell? Everyone commits sin, but does that make them bad? I should think not. Would Eponine deserve Hell? Certainly not! Yet she was a theif, she knew what it was to feel envy. What of Enjolras? He plotted to overthrow the monarchy, he committed treason, yet would you wish Hell upon this man? Absolutely not! Now, we consider a man whose only fear is death, but not his own. No, he fears for the life of his country, of his people. This man has committed treason, he has taken lives, but he only did so to free his country. Would you sentence him to Hell? What would his Hell be? How do you torture one who does not fear pain, who does not fear anything but the death of his country? You cannot.

_[FLASHBACK: 1832]_

_Enjolras opened his eyes, blinking in the dim sunlight. He sat up, immediately wishing he hadn't. _Oh,_ He thought, _that's right, I was shot. _He looked around and realised that he had been laying in a line of dead bodies. He recognised some of them: Joly, Courfeyrac, Combeferre, Prouvaire, Bossuet, Bahoral... Grantaire. Grantaire had almost been like a brother to Enjolras. Sure, he'd been drunk most of the time. True, he did not have any of the same beliefs as the rest of Les Amis. However, despite their differences, Grantaire had always believed in Enjolras. Grantaire had always admired Enjolras, and he had always done whatever he could to help Enjolras. As Enjolras looked upon the dead Grantaire, it pained him. But it was not only Grantaire's death that pained him, all of his friends were dead! His gaze fell upon Gavroche. _They killed the gamin! Oh, but he was only a boy! _Enjolras thought furiously. _

_Enjolras heard footsteps and he knew that they belonged to soldiers. He forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain he felt. He hid in the Cafe Musain, retreating into the shadows. He saw, through the window, the soldiers taking the bodies away; the bodies of his friends. His revolution had failed. The people had not heard, their voices were lost, just as his friends lives were lost. _I can't believe... they can't all be dead... _His eyes filled with tears. This man had not cried since he was a child. He was thought to be fearless, and, while it was true that he did not fear most things, he missed his friends. There was nothing he could do to bring them back, nothing he could do to reverse any of what had been done. His friends were dead. That was that._

_As soon as the soldiers had left, Enjolras made his way to the hospital. _I'm alive, I might as well stay that way. _He thought bitterly. _This isn't the end, _he promised himself, _the people will rise, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but they will rise. _He managed a smile despite himself. _To the will of the people, and to the health of progress. Give your heart to the wine of rebellion, and tomorrow my good friend. We will bring light, despite the darkness of the night to illuminate our land and change lives! _He wiped away his tears as he made a promise not to let his friends die in vain._

[PRESENT DAY: 1834]

"E-Enjolras?" Marius asked. "But how?"

"I didn't die." Enjolras replied simply. He could see that Marius was about to ask more questions, so he told him: "Marius, you can ask questions later. Right now we need to get away from here. We need to leave before–"

"Marius, who's at the door?" chimed the voice of Cosette. She walked over and froze when she saw Eponine. "So you've escaped then." She said icily. "Your father will find you, you know." she added.

"Yeah? And you're going to tell him where to find us?" Eponine asked, glaring at her.

"As a matter of fact." she replied.

"You aren't going to know either."

"I'll follow you."

"Good luck with that." Eponine said coldly. She swung her fist back and hit Cosette hard in the nose. Cosette fell backward and hit her head hard off the ground. She was out cold. Eponine smirked. "Well _that's _taken care of... I've always wanted to do that." Marius and Enjolras laughed. "Now let's leave."

"Just a minute," Marius said, running back inside. He returned with Eponine's medicine, he knew that she would need it. "Okay, let's go." As they walked, they talked. Well, Enjolras talked, that is.

"I thought I was the only survivor," He admitted, "for the past 2 years I've lived with the guilt of being the only one that lived, but I promised not to let them die in vain. Then I saw Eponine at that inn and... well, you know the rest." All were silent for a moment.

"So were exactly is it that we're going?" Eponine asked, breaking the silence. More silence. "Y'know, we might want to figure that out." They stopped walking and thought for a moment.

"Gorbeau House?" Marius suggested.

"No, my father knows that you used to live there." Eponine replied.

"There are cheap apartments on Rue de Prony." Enjolras said. Eponine nodded.

"Alright then." said She. They continued on walking.

As they reached one of the more crowded parts of Paris (certain parts of Paris were always crowded, even if it was past midnight), Eponine linked arms with Marius and Enjolras so as not to become separated from them. _What a sight we must be. _Eponine thought, _Two bourgeois _**(1)**_ walking around Paris with a street rat... what a sight indeed! _She glanced at Marius then at Enjolras. Then, almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Marius said to her:

"There's no one else I'd rather be walking with."

"Truly, Monsieur?"

"Truly, Mademoiselle." He replied. Eponine smiled slightly.

...

It was not long before they'd found cheap apartment room and rented it. Already there, in the apartment room, was a ratty old sofa with several holes in it, as well as a bed with several holes in it. It was decided that Enjolras would sleep on the sofa, while Marius and Eponine would share the bed. Between them, they'd not had much in the way of money. They'd had 60 francs, the room had cost them 57. That left them with only 3 francs to buy food. It was evident that they would need more money and soon. They had two months until they'd have to pay the rent.

"I have a job," Enjolras reminded them.

"As have I." said Marius.

"But Marius, Cosette knows where you work. At the end of the day, she could follow you from work to here. Then she could tell Eponine's father where to find her." Enjolras said. Marius sighed, knowing he was right. "I work not too far from here, I could see about getting you a job. As for you, Eponine, I think it would be best if you stayed inside for now. You're father has a gang, does he not? He'll probably have them on the look out." Needless to say, Eponine was not exactly happy about this. Seeing this in her expression, Enjolras continued, "It's only for now. Once we have more money, we can move into a real house, away from Paris. Then you won't have to worry about running into your father or his gang." Eponine sighed and nodded in defeat. "It's only temporary."

"I know, I just hate having to hide from my own father..." She muttered, "Y'know, there was a time when he actually cared about me. Did I ever tell you that? When I was younger, he cared a great deal. But then fewer and fewer people came to the inn and I guess he needed someone to take his anger out on, so he chose me." she frowned as she said this. Marius and Enjolras watched her, both with the same expression of disgust on their faces.

"That's horrible, 'Ponine." Marius said, his disgust for her father evident in his voice.

"It really is." Enjolras agreed. Eponine shrugged.

"I kind of got used to it, I guess. The beatings, I mean. Well, I didn't really get used to it, I just kind of came to expect it." None of them spoke for a moment. None of them knew what to say.

"I'll go get us some dinner." Enjolras said finally. He went to the market and bought two loafs of bread for 30 sous each. Then he bought a couple of potatoes for 40 sous. _Not bad, _He thought, _we still have 2 francs remaining._ He returned to the apartment room where he found Eponine and Marius making out. "Oi, you two, is that really necessary?" He asked, startling them both and making them both blush.

"Yes." They both answered at once. Enjolras rolled his eyes.

**Well I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Oh, and check out the Wicked/Les Mis crossover too! Please? Pretty please?**

**(1)** **Or should that be 'two bourgeoisie'? Sorry if it's wrong.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Guys, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long. Please check out Les Méchants! Also, just a word of advice, never drop two rifles on your fingers. It hurts.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les miserables or any of the characters**

Boredom is something that I am sure you are familiar with, Reader. Boredom is what makes the day drag on and on; what makes a minute feel like an hour; what makes you feel restless; what makes you feel like drowning yourself in the Seine. Boredom is exactly what Eponine felt whenever Marius and Enjolras were at work. She had nothing to do. The room they had rented was quite bare. Other than what we have already mentioned was in the room, there was a book. One book. A book that belonged to Enjolras. The book was was about politics. I do not know if you have ever read a book on politics, but I can assure you that, unless you are Enjolras or a politician, such books are very dull and would probably bore you even more so than you previously were. Such was the book that Eponine happened to come across.

Eponine, as I'm sure you may have guessed, did not recieve the best education when she was a child. Her parents did not care enough to continue her education after they became poor. As a result, Eponine did not know how to read very well. That's not to say that she was illiterate, she could read and she could write, but not well. Upon finding the book, Eponine thought for a moment that she may be relieved of her boredom. She was wrong.

She began to read, her lips moving as she read _"At the time of Casimir Périer's death the situation of France was most threatening and critical. The government, as we have said, persisting in maintaining what it called the system of March 13, the deputies of the opposition issued a protest, May 28." _Eponine frowned. _I barely understand this..._ She thought bitterly. _And the parts that I do understand bore me._ She sighed and put the book down. _That _must _belong to Enjolras... there has to be _something_ to do in this apartment... maybe I could sneak out. Just for a minute or two... at least that would be something... Oh! I can't bear this! I'm going insane! I am soooooo bored! _Then, Marius walked through the door. Eponine jumped up and ran over to him. She hugged him tightly, relieved at the hope that her boredom would end. Marius laughed lightly at her enthusiasm. He kissed her forehead.

"Well I'm happy to see you too, 'Ponine." He said with a grin. She kissed him softly.

"Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I'm on my break." he replied. "I thought you might be bored so–"

"Bored is an understatement."

"–I bought you this on my way here." He handed her a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles. "I know it's not much, but–"

"Thank you!" She kissed him again. "How long is your break?"

"Quarter of an hour." She kissed him, this time more passionately.

"And there's no chance that Enjolras will walk in on us?"

"Not even a remote one." Their lips met again and Marius held her to him. Without fully realising it, Eponine was pulling Marius' shirt over his head and he was doing the same to her. Their lips moved together perfectly. Marius picked her up and carried her over to the bed.

...

Alas, their act of love was short lived as Marius had to return to work, his face still flushed. Eponine layed in bed, unable to stop smiling. _Oh, I've never known such happiness as I do now!_ She thought. _If I died now, I would die happy... _She just layed there for a while, just thinking of Marius, thinking of his tender hands as they caressed her body, thinking of his soft lips as he kissed her, thinking of his emerald eyes as they looked in hers with such love. _How happy I am!_

"In my life, there's been no one like him anywhere, anywhere where he is. Now he's mine, now I'm his. In my life, there is someone who touches my life... all these years... love is here... In my life he's all I could want, he is loving and gentle and good! In my life, for so long I've been just like a girl that is lost in the world! Now it seems, everything is the way I want it to be, every night how he whispers... whispers to me: 'Oh 'Ponine, dear 'Ponine how I love you so! Now you're here! I shall never let go!' All my life, love was unheard of and there was no one who seemed to care. Now my life, how it has changed and my Marius shall always be there! In my life, dreams do come true now I know love is real, now I know, it's love we feel." She sang, her soft voice filled with pure joy now that she was completely 100% certain that Marius loved her. "A heart full of love, a heart full of song. Oh how I've waited for so long! I have no shame, I've loved him since I've known his name. Now I can tell, he loves me... loves me as well. A heart full of love, I have no more fear! I will never be alone, not when he is near! This is chain we'll never break! I don't need dreams, his love's not fake! A heart full of light, even on the darkest night! I've found my way out of the dark! He is my light! And he does not love the lark! Now I know it's him I'll never lose! No regrets, now I am free! And every night as he says... he loves me, he loves me, he loves me. I know his heart full of love, we will always feel this way!"

For the rest of the day, until Marius and Enjolras came home, Eponine worked on knitting a scarf. She hadn't known how to knit, but she'd taught herself rather quickly. Eponine looked up when Marius and Enjolras walked through the door. Upon seeing Marius, she couldn't help but blush slightly and she couldn't help but notice that Marius was blushing too. Enjolras looked at them.

"You two slept together." He said. It wasn't a question. His statement was confirmed when Eponine and Marius both turned a brilliant shade of red. Enjolras didn't say another word on the subject, he just grabbed his book on politics and started to read.

"How did he know?" Eponine asked Marius in an undertone.

"He's Enjolras," Marius replied simply, "he always knows."

...

Two months passed and Eponine still hadn't left the apartment. Every night she had the same argument with Enjolras: she wanted to go outside, he kept telling her that her father had been roaming about, which indeed he had. Monsieur Thenardier had been searching for Eponine ever since she had escaped with Enjolras. But one night, when Enjolras and Marius came home, Eponine was unusually quiet. It did not go unnoticed.

"Eponine?" Enjolras said. She looked at him. She was, he noticed, rather pale. "Is something wrong?"

"No... everything's fine..." she said rather quietly.

"Are you sure?" Marius asked worriedly. She nodded.

"You're lying." Enjolras said.

"No I'm not." Eponine protested.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm–"

"'Ponine, he really will do this all night." Marius told her. "'Ponine, please... tell us what's wrong."

"I'm pregnant." She whispered. Marius fainted.

**I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry it was shorter than all the other chapters. What did you think of my song re-write? Please check out Les Méchants! Oh, and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter. It is very weird watching Sweenet Todd in French, all the songs are in English. So one minute they'll be speaking French and the next minute they're singing in English. It's kinda funny. Also, I imagine Marius to be kind of like Ichabod Krane from Sleepy Hollow (the version with Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci) with his squeamishness. On another note, please check out my new Les Mis fic, Hope. I might keep it as just a one-shot, but well, y'all know what happened last time I said that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or the characters**

Eponine gasped as Marius fainted. Enjolras looked at his unconscious form.

"He took that well." he said, barely keeping a smirk off his face. Eponine looked at him with a horrified expression on her face.

"He... he's unhappy..." Eponine whispered, her voice shaking with the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. Enjolras looked at her. "Oh God... he hates me now, doesn't he?"

"No, Eponine, of course he doesn't hate you. He was just surprised. He loves you, Eponine, and he's going to love your child."

"But what if he doesn't?" She asked, tears now falling rapidly from her eyes. Enjolras knew that she was about to break down. The thought of Marius hating her terrified her. Enjolras hugged her rather awkwardly, in an attempt to comfort her. He could have sworn her heard her mutter something about a marble statue.

Eponine knelt down next to Marius and nudged him. He started to wake.

"Monsieur?" Eponine whispered. His eyes fluttered open. "Monsieur?" she asked again. He smiled that smile that Eponine so loved.

"'Ponine, please, call me Marius." he told her with a slight laugh. Eponine didn't smile, just nodded. Marius sat up and looked at her. He could see the worried look in her eyes. He cupped her face in his hands and then kissed her softly. She smiled and kissed him back. After about a minute or so of this, Enjolras cleared his throat. They separated, both blushing slightly

"So you're not mad?" Eponine asked as she got to her feet.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Marius asked, also getting to his feet. "Eponine, you're pregnant! We're going to have a baby, that's wonderful!" he rejoiced, enveloping her in a warm embrace. "Do you think it will be a boy or girl? Do you think he or she will look like you or like me? What should we name it if it's a girl? What should we name it if it's a boy? How far along are you? When do you think you'll have the baby? Has the baby kicked at all? Do you–"

"Marius," Enjolras said, "Eponine looks like she's about to kill you, I would suggest you stop asking her questions." Marius blushed and stopped talking. "And as for the name, Gabriel is a wonderful name for a boy." He told them. And that, Dear Reader, is how Eponine and Marius learned Enjolras' first name.

...

4 months had passed. Eponine was definitely showing, but she was also quite restless. She had begun to hate the apartment for the mere reason that she saw too much of it.

"Enjolras, I need to get out of this apartment." She said, clearly irritated.

"Just a little while longer, Eponine." He replied, "Marius and I almost have enough money raised for all of us to move out of Paris."

"Enjolras, if I stay in here any longer I will go insane. Please, just let me go out for a walk. Just this once?" Eponine begged. Enjolras sighed in defeat.

"If you really want to go then fine. But remember, the only reason why you've been confined to this apartment was for your own safety." He told her, "Eponine, you're father is still out there. I've seen him and his gang around."

"I'll be fine." Eponine told them, "But if you're really that worried, then why don't you and Marius accompany me?" Enjolras nodded. Eponine grinned, clearly happy that she had finally one the argument that had occurred on a daily basis.

Eponine, Marius, and Enjolras walked down the streets of Paris–well, Marius and Enjolras walked, Eponine danced down the streets, earning her many strange looks from the bourgeoisie. But Eponine couldn't care less. She was free! She was no longer trapped in that apartment, she felt like dancing (which she was) and singing (which she was very close to doing). Little did they know that they were being watched from the shadows.

Montparnasse watched as Eponine danced gaily through the streets. He noticed the bulge of her stomach and smirked. _Well now, Mademoiselle Eponine is pregnant. Wonder who the father is. God knows how many men she's been with... _Then he laughed quietly as he took noticed of how happy Eponine looked. _She thinks the child is her love's. She thinks he's the father! Ha! It could be anyone's; it could be mine!_ It was true that the thought of the child belonging to someone other than Marius had not passed through Eponine's head. As soon as she'd found out, her thoughts had automatically turned to Marius. The way Eponine saw it was that she had only ever made love to Marius, the other men that her father had forced on her hadn't been acts of love, just sex. _I wonder when she'll realise it might not be his..._ Montparnasse thought, almost gleefully. Ah, now, Dear Reader, in order for you to understand the blind loathing that Montparnasse felt for Eponine, we need first to explain the love and adoration that he once held for her.

_[FLASHBACK: 1829]_

_Montparnasse watched the young girl carefully. She couldn't be any older than 13 years old. Montparnasse himself was not too old either, scarcely more than a child, a youth of 16 with a pretty face, cherry-lips, glossy dark hair and the brightness of Springtime in his eyes. The girl's gaze caught his own and she sauntered over to him._

_"Hello there, M'sieur 'Parnasse." she said cheerfully._

_"Eponine." he replied with a nod. She smiled at him and he could help but smile back. In truth, Montparnasse was intrigued by the sprite known as Eponine. She never complained about the hard life that was forced upon her and her smile seemed to light up all of Paris. She always seemed happy at that time of day, around 4:00 when classes at the university ended for the day. The reason for her happiness was quite simple: it was at that time everyday that she saw _Him_ walk by. He looked to be about 17. She did not know his name, but she knew his kindness. She knew that he did not have much money, but the money that he did have he always shared. He was quick to give a sous or two to the poor, or, when he could spare it, a franc. He was polite, never turned away on the few occasions that Eponine actually found the courage to talk to him. His voice was soft and he seemed to speak from the heart. The conversations that she had with him were never very long, but they were enough for her to know that she loved him with all of her heart. She loved him so much that it almost hurt. Though, of course, all of this was unknown to Montparnasse. How was he to know of the young law student that had captured Eponine's heart? How was he to know that the object of his affection loved another? Yes, it was true that Montparnasse had feelings for Eponine. He was fascinated by her; by her kindness towards others, how she always sought to help them above herself. Eponine, who had been forced into thievery only a couple of years earlier, gave what she could to the poor. That was one thing that she had in common with the law student. Yes, Montparnasse loved her, and his love for her was the only love he had ever known. He loved no one else, and no one loved him. He was a murderer. He had never known his parents, he had been a child of the streets; a gamin. The gamin turned vagabond and the vagabond become an assassin, a fashion plate living in squalor and committing murder. Several times he had considered telling Eponine of his feelings for her, but he did not. The only fear that Montparnasse had was Eponine's rejection. Moreover, what he would do to her if she rejected him, for Montparnasse angered quite easily. If Eponine rejected him, Montparnasse was fairly certain that he would hurt her. But he needed to know, he needed to know if she felt the same way... if there was any chance... _Tonight, _Montparnasse decided, _I'll tell her tonight._ And so he prepared himself._

_That night, Montparnasse waited for Eponine in Place Saint-Michel. She was always there every night at 7:00. Though, unbeknown to Montparnasse, this was, of course, because of that same law student, who happened to go to the Cafe Musain every night at 7:00. Eponine liked to watch him walk to the Cafe and then wait there in the shadows until he walked back. Such had become her daily routine, and that had been noticed by Montparnasse. And so, when 7:00 came around, there was Eponine, waiting in the shadows for her love to walk by. He was late._

_Montparnasse strolled over to her._

_"Hello, Eponine." he said in his soft voice. She looked at him._

_"Oh, hello 'Parnasse." She replied, smiling slightly. "What brings you to Place Saint-Michel?"_

_"To see you, actually." he replied, surprising her._

_"Really? Whatever for?" she asked._

_"Eponine, I need to tell you something."_

_"What is it, 'Parnasse?"_

_"I love you." He told her simply. Her dark eyes widened._

_"You... oh... what?"_

_"I love you." He repeated._

_"I... oh, Montparnasse... uh..." she stuttered. He knew. He knew as soon as she'd called him Montparnasse rather than 'Parnasse that she did not love him back. He looked at her, almost as if daring her to confirm it._

_"Don't you feel the same way?" he asked. She frowned slightly._

_"No... Montparnasse, no, I don't... I'm sorry, but I... I think I love someone else. I really am sorry, I–" Montparnasse had shoved her against the side of a building and was now holding her up off the ground by her neck. She choked, trying desperately to breathe. Montparnasse was furious. Not only had she rejected him, but she had also told him that she loved someone else. Eponine tried to get him to release his hold on her neck, but to no avail. So she kneed him in the groin. He jumped back, abruptly letting go of her. She started to run from him, but he recovered quickly and persued her. He tackled her to the ground. "Montparnasse, please no! My friend, please–"_

_"Don't." he growled. He flipped her over so that she was on her back. He started to hit her rather hard. "Why can't you love me?" he hissed._

_"Please–"_

_"Tell me you love me and I'll stop." he replied._

_"Montparnasse, I... I can't..." she whispered. He continued to beat her. She yelped in pain. As many people have said, everything happens for a reason. We can say with certainty that it was a good thing that the law student, whom you must know to be Marius, happened to be late that fateful day. If he had not been, then perhaps I would not be writing this story and you would not be reading it. But as fate would have it, Marius was late that day and just so happened to walk by just as Eponine let out a yelp of pain. Upon hearing her cry, his eyes searched the shadows and he saw them. He ran over to them. He recognised Eponine almost immediately, though not, of course, by name._

_"Leave her alone." Marius said, his voice taking on rather glacial tones. He pulled Montparnasse off of her. Montparnasse turned to him and swung his fist. It collided with Marius' jaw and he stumbled back a bit. Marius swung back, but Montparnasse' caught his fist and then hit him hard in the head. It was immediately clear who would win the fight._

_"Monsieur, watch out!" Eponine called out–rather loudly, might I add– to Marius just as Montparnasse swung at him again, his fist hitting him in the nose, drawing blood. Montparnasse shoved Marius to the ground and kicked him hard in the stomach. Eponine scrambled to her feet and tried to stop Montparnasse. "Leave him alone!" She cried out. Montparnasse turned on her, punching her hard in the stomach. "Ask me again why I could never love you." She spat venomously. He shoved her to the ground and pinned her down. Marius got up just as several students rushed out of the Cafe Musain, having heard the noise from the fight. When Montparnasse was about to hit her again, one of the students grabbed his fist. Montparnasse turned and saw that there were several students, and only one of them was drunk._

_"I suggest you leave." Said the man who had grabbed Montparnasse's fist. He was tall and devilishly good-looking. It was clear just by the way he spoke that he was the leader of the group of students. The man released his fist and Montparnasse got up off of Eponine and ran off. Marius held out his hand to Eponine. She took it and he helped her up._

_"Thank you," said Eponine rather quietly to Marius and all of the other students. _

_"You're quite welcome, Mademoiselle...?"_

_"Eponine Thenardier." she introduced herself. Marius smiled warmly at her. "And you, Monsieur?"_

_"I am Marius Pontmercy." he replied. The rest of the students introduced themselves. That is how Eponine came to know Les Amis de l'ABC and that is how she and Marius became friends._

So now, as Montparnasse watched Eponine dance through the streets, followed by Marius and Enjolras, he was filled with bitter resentment for the girl who had broken his heart.

**Well I hope you liked that! Please check out Hope and Les Méchants, and please review! Reviews are what inspire me to write and to update quicker.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! So before I start this chapter, I just wanted to take the time and thank all of you for your lovely reviews and for sticking with the story and, well, for sticking with me as a fanfic author. It really means a lot to me that y'all seem to enjoy my fanfictions so much and each review fills me with such happiness. Thanks to everyone that reads my fanfictions and reviews each chapter, you guys are great! I also love seeing y'all reviewing to my other fanfics, it makes me really happy to know that you like my writing, your reviews make my day and inspire me to write. So, all in all, thank you guys for sticking with me and the story and for leaving such kind reviews!**

**On another note, I apologise if updates take longer. I'm working on 3 stories right now, as well as 3 one-shots. Anyways...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or any of the characters.**

Montparnasse, as we have said, hated Eponine for one reason only: she had broken his heart. He continued to watch her from the shadows, unseen by her and unseen by Enjolras and Marius. He was tempted to say something to her, to crush her high spirits. But if he said something he would have to reveal himself. _What's the worst that could happen? _he asked himself. _What could she possibly do to me? What could her lover and that student do to me? Nothing._

"Well, well, well," Montparnasse said, stepping out of the shadows. Eponine turned to face him. Her face drained of colour at the sight of him.

"Montparnasse." she said. Marius and Enjolras quickly caught up to her. Marius wrapped an arm around her and Enjolras stepped in front of her, taking on a defensive stance. Montparnasse smirked. He glanced at Eponine's rather round stomach.

"Got yourself knocked up, I see." he said.

"She's not 'knocked up', she's pregnant." Marius informed him angrily.

"Are you so sure about that?" Montparnasse asked, grinning malevolantly, "You do know that she was whoring around before she escaped, don't you?" Eponine's face turned impossibly whiter. She hadn't thought about that. She had even considered the possibility of her child belonging to anyone other than Marius. "The child could even be mine." Montparnasse continued. Eponine felt like she was going to be sick. It was true, her father had sold her to Montparnasse for the night. She remembered it all too well. She glanced down at her stomach. She couldn't bear the thought that the child might be Montparnasse's.

"N-no..." Eponine whispered, barely audible. Montparnasse laughed.

"Yes, Eponine, the child could be mine."

"Even if it is yours, you will have nothing to do with the child." Marius told him coldly. "Come on," he said to Eponine and to Enjolras, "let's go." They started to walk back to the apartment. Montparnasse waited until they were almost out of sight and then began to follow them, maintaining the safe distance between them. After about 10 minutes of walking, Enjolras froze. Eponine and Marius stopped and turned to look at him.

"What's wrong?" Marius asked.

"You two keep walking. I'll catch up with you." Enjolras said. He could see that Marius was about to say something, so he said "Trust me, Marius." Marius and Eponine continued walking. Enjolras stepped into the darkness of the shadows. He was unseen. He waited until Montparnasse walked by. He stepped out of the shadows and tackled Montparnasse. He hit him repeatedly. "Leave my friends alone." he growled, punching him one last time, knocking him out. Enjolras got up and started running to catch up with Eponine and Marius.

Eponine had been silent the entire time. Marius was fairly certain that he knew what she was thinking.

"'Ponine?" Marius said softly. She turned her head to look at him. "Talk to me."

"What if the baby isn't yours?" she asked quietly, tears filling her eyes. They stopped walking.

"So what if it isn't? I'll still be there for both you and the child, I'll still love the child as my own, and I'll still love you." he told her.

"D'you really mean that?"

"Of course I do. It doesn't matter who the father is, the child is still a part of you so I will love him or her. But remember, there still is a chance that I could be the father."

"I hope you are..." she whispered, tears falling from her eyes.

"So do I." he told her. She wrapped her arms around him and cried softly into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "It's going to be okay, 'Ponine" he murmured.

"I really don't want the baby to be his..." Her voice broke.

"I know."

"Just the thought of a part of him growing inside me..." She shuddered and fresh tears fell from her eyes. Marius kissed her forehead lightly.

"It might not be his." he reminded her. She just nodded.

"Are you alright?" Enjolras asked her as he ran up to them. She shook her head. "Try to hope for the best." he told her, giving her a slight smile. Eponine managed the smallest of smiles in return.

...

Eponine was quiet for the next couple of weeks. She barely talked, which worried Enjolras and Marius. What worried them even more was that she had not again asked to go for a walk. She would just sit in the corner of the room and she only spoke when asked a direct question. She didn't even cry anymore, and _that_ was worrying. Eponine was lost in thought most of the time, well, lost in worry would be more accurate. She did not, as we have said, want the child to belong to anyone other than Marius. She tormented herself with the thought of the child being Montparnasse's. The very thought disgusted her and she felt so ashamed of herself. _I should have been stronger; should have put up more of a fight; shouldn't have let him..._ Though, of course, she did not _let _him do anything to her. She had fought him off with all she had, but he was stronger than her. All of her 'customers' had been stronger than her. She had been helpless and she had hated it. At times, she would try to cheer herself up. _It could be Marius' child, _she would think, _it could be his..._ But then she would remember how many men her father had forced upon her and she knew that the chances of the child actually being Marius' weren't that high, then she would sink back into her depression. She didn't eat much, though that wasn't too different from how she'd lived most of her life, but she would usually only eat a few bites of whatever food Marius or Enjolras brought her. She would only eat more when Marius begged her, which was becoming a daily routine. All in all, Eponine had been badly affected by what Montparnasse had said. She'd had nightmares about exactly what was happening for years, ever since Montparnasse had first tried to force himself upon her. In her mind, her nighmare had come true, for she failed to see that there was an equally likely or unlikely chance that the child was Montparnasse's as there was that it was Marius'.

Eponine was sitting in the corner, like usual, when Marius and Enjolras came home. Marius looked at her and sighed.

"I hate seeing her like this." Marius said to Enjolras in an undertone.

"I know," Enjolras said, "though perhaps it will change now... Go tell her." Marius walked over to Eponine and knelt down next to her.

"'Ponine?" She looked at him, but said nothing. "I have some good news. We have enough money to move out of Paris now." he told her. Again, she said nothing. "You won't have to worry about your father or his gang." she spoke not a word. "'Ponine, please, say something!" he begged her, desperation evident in his voice. "Please, 'Ponine, talk to me!"

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, looking down.

"I need you back, 'Ponine, I need you." He had tears in his eyes. Eponine looked at him and then wrapped her scrawny arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her, silent tears falling from his brilliant green eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, sounding more like her old self. "I love you, Marius."

"I love you too, 'Ponine."

**What'd ya think? So, whose do you think the child will be? Should the baby be a boy or a girl? What should it's name be? Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey Guys, so I've done a lot of thinking and this is going to be the last chapter. I know exactly how I want to end this and I even wrote the ending while I was in the middle of Math class. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Miserables or the characters**

Within a week they were ready to move out of Paris. They planned to leave that night.

Eponine hadn't been as distant and she would actually talk to Marius and Enjolras. She even ate more, after being constantly reminded by both Marius and Enjolras that not only did she need the nutrients, but so did the baby. Eponine did still worry that the baby might not be Marius', but she sincerely hoped that it would be his. Sometimes, the baby would kick and Eponine would smile and think _but surely it has to be his..._ Other times, the voice in the back of her head would remind her _Ah, but maybe it is not his._ Whenever that thought repeated itself in her head, she would turn to Marius and just study his face to calm herself. During those times, Marius would watch her watching him, with a very amused expression on his face. He would smile at her. He wouldn't say anything to her until he knew that she had calmed, and then he would wrap his arms around her and he would only say these simple words: I'm here, and I love you. That was all she would need to hear, all she needed to get through the day. Those words meant more to her than Marius would ever know.

Enjolras would watch them from time to time, almost curiously. Enjolras had never been in a relationship, his heart had always belonged to Patria. But in those times that he would watch them, he would almost yearn for that sort of passion, for that ineffable love. He did not, necessarily, yearn for the love of a female companion, he just wanted to feel the passion that he had once felt for the revolution. The failed revolution.

Now, dear Reader, it pains me to inform you that there was a plot afoot. Enjolras, Marius, and Eponine were all in the dark, for Montparnasse had discovered where they lived and, I'm afraid to say, had told Monsieur Thenardier. Claquesous, whose face no one had ever actually seen and who was in disguise more often than not, had been observing them. Moreover, he had been listening. He occupied the apartment next to theirs and he could hear everything they said through the thin walls. He knew that they were to move that very night and, of course, had told Thenardier. Thenardier, with help from the Patron Minette, planned to ambush them. But, alas, he did not plan to harm them or to kidnap them. No, he wanted more than that; he planned to kill. He did not care that his daughter was pregnant, he wanted her dead. She had escaped him, she had defied him. She was an embarassment to him. He wanted revenge; he wanted her, her love, and her friend dead.

Marius held Eponine in his arms as they say on the couch, just waiting for nightfall. They had finished packing the few things they possessed, so now they just sat in amiable silence, while Enjolras read his book on politics. Occasionally, he would look at them for a moment and then back to his book. In truth, Enjolras was happier than he'd been for quite sometime. Two of the friends he had thought to be dead were alive. They were alive and he was no longer all alone. During the two years since the barricade had fallen, Enjolras had lived alone. He rarely talked to anyone, rarely saw anyone. He didn't want to make new friends, he felt that it would be a betrayal to those who had fallen with the barricade. He could never replace those friends and he knew it. So when he found out that Eponine and Marius were alive, his outlook on life brightened considerably, for he would no longer be alone in life. To be all alone is a dreadful thing, to have no one to talk to, or no one to turn to in your time of need; to have no one who can comfort you, to have no one who cares for you. Desolation is worse than death itself, though, as we've established, Enjolras did not fear death. To be lonely is to be miserable, unless, of course, you prefer to be lonely, in which case something may be wrong with you as no one should enjoy spending an extended amount of time completely alone. When Eponine and Marius came back into Enjolras' life, he was filled with such inexplicable happiness. Two of his friends were alive! What joy! He was not the only one anymore, and he no longer felt as much guilt.

Marius was happy too, for he also had two friend back from the 'dead', though, needless to say, Eponine was certainly more than just a friend to him. Marius reveled in the thought of Eponine having his child, and Marius had no doubt that it was, in fact, his child. Marius had all he needed in life. He had love, and he had friendship. That was enough for him. Not to mention that the prospect of having a child with the woman he loved was indeed a pleasant one. It seemed to Marius that he would live the rest of his life in happiness with Eponine, their child, and, naturally, Enjolras. Eponine and Marius had, in the late hours of the night, talked about what parenthood might be like and they had also discussed how amusing it would be to see Enjolras near a baby. They had also discussed the possibility of Enjolras being the child's godfather. They had both agreed on it, all they needed to do now was to ask Enjolras himself.

"Enjolras?" Eponine said, knowing that she and Marius should probably ask him now, while they had a chance. Enjolras closed his book and looked at her.

"Yes?"

"We were thinking..." Marius said, almost uncertainly.

"If anything should happen to Marius and I..." Eponine said, shuddering slightly at the thought.

"Will you be our child's godfather?" Marius asked him. For the briefest moment, Eponine could have sworn that she saw tears in Enjolras' eyes. He seemed to struggle for words, but then he smiled.

"I'd be honoured." Enjolras told them, still smiling. Eponine and Marius smiled back.

Night soon fell upon France, the crescent moon smiling in the night sky.

"Ready to go?" Enjolras asked them as he stood up. They nodded. Marius stood and then helped Eponine to stand up. Eponine moaned slightly and placed a hand on her stomach. Marius and Enjolras looked at her worriedly.

"I'm fine." she said, but her voice was a bit strained. Marius wrapped an arm around her waist. "Let's go."

They slipped into the cool Parisian night and began to walk, they didn't have enough money for a coach. So they walked through the streets, completely unaware that they were being followed. Eponine moaned again and then froze. Marius and Enjolras stopped walking and turned to her, but she was not looking at them. She was staring at the ground in disbelief. She was staring at the small puddle of water at her feet.

"My water just broke..." she told them, disbelief in her voice.

"Wh-what... now? B-but it's too soon... you're only 7 months along..." Marius stammered.

"We'll get you to the hospital." Enjolras said. But just as they turned to head to the hospital, a shot rang out. Marius and Enjolras looked around for the source of the gunshot. When they looked back at Eponine, she had fallen to the ground. The bullet had landed in her side and she was bleeding profusely. She let out another moan of pain as she felt a contraction. Then she saw them advancing towards her from the shadows. Her father and his gang. Her father cocked his pistol and pointed it at her. Enjolras ran over to him and tackled him, not caring in the least if he was shot.

"Grab him." Thenardier said to Brujon, Babet, and Claquesous. They did as they were told and seized him. Enjolras fought against them, but he was out numbered. They dragged him off into an alleyway to 'take care' of him. Marius was about to run after them, but Montparnasse blocked his path.

"You're mine." Montparnasse hissed as he pulled out a rather wicked looking knife.

"St-stay away from h-him!" Eponine cried out before gasping in pain and clutching her wound. Montparnasse turned to grin at her. As he did so, Marius took the chance to punch him as hard as he could. His fist collided with Montparnasse's temple. Montparnasse dropped to the ground, his head now bleeding internally. Thenardier pointed his pistol at Marius. "No! Don't hurt him!" Eponine begged. Thenardier laughed. Marius glanced at Eponine and paled when he saw she was laying in a pool of her own blood. "Please!" Eponine begged her father with such desperation in her voice.

"Say goodbye to your loverboy." Thenardier hissed. He pulled the trigger. Marius didn't have time to even blink before the bullet entered his body, right over his heart. Eponine screames. Marius stumbled back and then collapsed to the ground, next to Eponine.

"No!" Eponine cried out, tears filling her eyes. Marius looked at her and then clutched at her hand.

"I... love... you... 'Ponine..." he whispered. Those were the last words he would ever say. He softly pressed his lips to hers and then he pulled back. He tried to smile at her and died. Tears fell from Eponine's eyes.

"No..." she sobbed. "NO!" She gasped in pain from both her wound and from another contraction. She glared at her father. "You BASTARD!" she shouted at him. "You killed him! You..." she broke down sobbing. A gunshot was fired. Then another, then another. "Oh God... Enjolras..." she whispered. More tears fell from her eyes as she wept out of sheer misery and desperation.

"You're next." Thenardier told her, grinning malevolantly, as he advanced towards her. Another gunshot went off and Thenardier fell to the ground, never to move again. He was dead. Standing behind him, pistol still aimed at him, was Enjolras. He was not dead after all. No, the three gunshots that Eponine had heard had been the deaths of Brujon, Babet, and Claquesous. Enjolras had stolen one of their pistols and shot the three of them.

Eponine looked at Enjolras, who was staring at Marius' dead body. Enjolras knelt down and felt for a pulse, though he already knew that he would not find one. He looked over at Eponine, his eyes immediately drifting to her bullet wound in her side. He hurried over to her. Eponine bit down on her lip as she felt another contraction. The baby would be there soon.

"Eponine..." Enjolras whispered, unable to take his eyes away from the pool of crimson blood. A wave of pain passed through her. She shuddered.

"Enjolras, the baby is coming." she breathed. She gasped as she felt yet another contraction. Tears filled her eyes. "I don't think I'm going to make it..."

"No... no, of course you'll live!" he told her, all the while knowing that she was probably right. She had lost way too much blood.

"Please, Enjolras, promise me... promise me you'll take care of the baby..."

"Of course I will..." Tears filled the eyes of the 'marble statue'. Eponine gasped in pain. Enjolras held her hand. "I'll stay with you," he promised her, "until the end."

In the early hours of the morning, a very tiny baby girl was born. Eponine smiled at the small baby girl, who had chestnut brown hair and Marius' bright green eyes, before she drifted into an eternal sleep.

Enjolras knew from the moment he first held the tiny baby that he was wrapped around her little fingers. This little baby, whom he had named Epona-Mari, had broken the marble statue.

_The End_

**Please don't hate me. I'm sorry, but I thought of this and I knew this was how it had to end. Sorry. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed! Thank you to everyone who read this straight through to the end! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey y'all! So a few of you asked for a sequel, but I couldn't really think of a plot line. However, I won't just leave ya high and dry, so here is an epilogue. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis or any of the characters**

_Epilogue_

_6 years later [1840]_

Enjolras had kept his promise to Eponine and Marius; he cared for their child as his own. Epona-Mari looked very much like her mother, but with her father's bright green eyes and his freckles. She was a beautiful child. Enjolras made sure that Epona-Mari would want for nothing. He made sure that she was well educated, that she was well fed, that she was well clothed. He made sure she had a good life. Epona-Mari, like her father, seemed to, even at her young age, have a passion for law. Epona-Mari was also a very tiny child and, like her mother, very thin.

Enjolras told Epona-Mari many stories about her parents, he wanted her to feel as if she had known them. There was only one story that he refused to tell her and it was the one that she most wantd to hear: the story of how her parents died. In truth, Enjolras wasn't sure if that was because he thought her too young to know, or that it was too painful for him to recount. All he would tell her is that her parents did not want to leave her. Their deaths hurt Enjolras more than he ever let show. They had been his only friends left and they had died. Enjolras had felt the same grief over the failed revolution, only now it was intensified. All he had now was the beautiful little girl that Marius and Eponine had left behind.

At times, he would look at her and, for a moment, think her to be a young Eponine. Or he would just catch a glimpse of her bright green eyes and think of Marius. In those times the fact that his friends were dead would crash back down on him, causing even more pain. But he would need only look at the beautiful child named Epona-Mari and he knew that he would always have this piece of Eponine and Marius with him.

"Papa?" Epona-Mari said as she tapped on Enjolras' shoulder. Enjolras turned away from the book he'd been pouring over and looked at her. It was the middle of the night and she was dressed in her nightgown.

"Oui, ma chère enfant? **(1)**"

"I had a bad dream." she told him, tears streaming down her young face. He picked her up so that she was sitting in his lap.

"What happened in your dream?" he asked her softly.

"I dreamed that a bad man came and stole me away from you." she said, more tears falling from her eyes. He stroked her hair softly.

"Don't worry, ma petite chérie **(2)**, I won't let anything bad happen to you." he promised her. He smiled reassuringly at her. She smiled back through her tears.

"Papa, could you read to me?" she asked him hopefully.

"Of course, my child." he picked her up and carried her to her bed. He lay her down and picked up one of the books on her bedside table. The cover read: _Notre-Dame de Paris._ He began to read: "Chapitre Un, La Grand Salle. Il y a aujourd'hui trois cent quarante-huit ans six mois et dix-neuf jours que les parisiens s'éveillèrent au bruit de toutes les cloches sonnant à grande volée dans la triple enceinte de la Cité, de l'Université et de la Ville... **(3)**" He began. Epona-Mari smiled lightly and closed her eyes, just listening to him read to her. His presence comforted the small child and she soon drifted off into a very content sleep. Enjolras set the book back down on her bedside table and stood up. He pulled the blanket up so it covered her and then he bent down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

And so, Dear Reader, though misery can be thrust upon so many, it seemed that despite all of his hardships, Enjolras would be quite content for the rest of his days. As would Epona-Mari. And, though neither of them knew, but Enjolras greatly suspected, Eponine and Marius were watching over them, smiling. They knew that they had made the right choice in entrusting their daughter to Enjolras.

This story, which started with misery and ends in happiness, we can safely say is finished.

**Well there's the epilogue. Sorry it was rather short, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. Please review!**

**(1) Yes, my dear child**

**(2) My little darling**

**(3) Today there are three hundred and forty-eight years six months and nineteen days since Parisians awoke to the sound of the bells ringing in the large flock triple enclosure of the city, the University and the Town.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello y'all,**

**So I've noticed that some of you have requested a sequel. Well, I won't deny you one. Alas, there is one problem: I can't think of a plot line. Here's where you guys come in:**

**If you think I should post a sequel to this, then PM me what you think the plot should be. I will notify you if I choose your plot line and you will be mentioned at the beginning of the fanfic and, if you so desire, I can base a character off of you. Also, I may mix a few plot lines together, so if I use one that one of you sends in, I guarantee that you will be mentioned. **

**Please send in some ideas, I can't post a sequel until I have a plot in mind. I mean, otherwise the story would be pretty boring. Who ever heard of a story without a plot?**

**So if you want a sequel, then please send me your idea(s)!**

**Sincerely,**

**MissFiyerabaMeponine/Ashley**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everybody!**

**So I thought I should probably tell you guys that I now have a plotline for the sequel to this. I would like to thank everyone who sent in their ideas, I have mixed a few of them together. **

**Special thanks goes out to Maelee C, Caligirlsd99, and PhoenixGirl97, I have mixed your ideas together and they will be featured in the sequel. If any of you three wish to have a character based off of you, please PM me with any details you want mentioned (such as appearance, or personality) and I will definitely include them.**

**Also, I will not be starting the sequel until I have finished one or more of the stories that I am currently working on, but you can probably expect it to be posted by the end of September. Again, I do say probably, as a) I'm starting high school in the fall and I will have homework, probably a lot of it seeing as I'm taking all academic classes, and b) I can't be absolutely sure when I will be finished with one of the other stories.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! **

**So I have finally posted the sequel to One Towards the Other. It's called Le Jour de Gloire est Arrivé**

**It will focus on Enjolras and Epona-Mari's life, as well as the Revolution of 1848**

**So please check it out!**

**Sincerely,**

**MissFiyerabaMeponineSherlock/Ashley**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello my pretties! I know I've updated this several times with authors notes and such, but trust me, you'll like this one.**

**So, y'know how I made you all sad and probably even made at least one of you cry in this story when I killed off Eponine and Marius right after they had their child, thus leaving poor Epona-Mari an orphan, though under the care of Enjolras? **_**Well**_**, I have something that might make you feel better.**

**I'm not talking about the sequel.**

**I am going to write an alternate ending of sorts. **

**In it, Eponine and Marius lived rather than died. **

**Yes, yes, I know, it's going to be **_**a lot **_**happier than the actual story. But keep in mind, this is an **_**alternate**_** ending. Not the real ending.**

**They did die. **

**Sorry.**

**But in this story (which will be called **_**What A Life They Might Have Known**_**), they're alive. Yay!**

**I'm not quite sure when this will be posted as a) I'm in school once again, b) I am working on **_**a lot **_**of stories, and c) I have a social life. **

**I will still be writing the sequel, this will not in any way replace that. This pretty much for those of you who were wonder 'what if'. I do not know how long this story will be, I never really do know how long my stories will be.**

**It should be posted sometime soon, starting right when they're about to leave Paris.**

**Sincerely,**

**MissFiyera–screw that it's too long.**

**Sincerely,**

**Ashley.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, **

**Just thought I'd tell you that I posted the alternate ending story.**

**It's called What A Life They Might Have Known**

**Bye!**

**Ashley**


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